Democrats are aiming at Maine for a Senate seat. But will the state give up Susan Collins?

Challenger Graham Platner may have amassed a rare kinetic energy, but the moderate conservative has served the state for almost 30 yearsFor three decades, Susan Collins has styled herself as a moderate conservative who delivers for Maine, even when it means defying Donald Trump. But as the incumbent Republican seeks a sixth term, national Democrats see her as newly vulnerable – zoning in on the state as a clear path to reclaiming the Senate.Collins, 73, will now face off against the presumptive Democratic nominee, Graham Platner, a 41-year-old marine veteran and oysterman with no national political experience and a controversial past. Despite dredged-up racist, sexist and homophobic online posts – and a now-covered-up tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol – Platner continues to amass a rare kinetic energy that has seen hundreds of Mainers flock to town halls across the state to hear his gravelly voiced excoriation of Washington. His rise ultimately forced the state’s two-term governor Janet Mills to suspend her primary bid, citing dwindling financial resources. Continue reading…

Challenger Graham Platner may have amassed a rare kinetic energy, but the moderate conservative has served the state for almost 30 yearsFor three decades, Susan Collins has styled herself as a moderate conservative who delivers for Maine, even when it means defying Donald Trump. But as the incumbent Republican seeks a sixth term, national Democrats…

Challenger Graham Platner may have amassed a rare kinetic energy, but the moderate conservative has served the state for almost 30 yearsFor three decades, Susan Collins has styled herself as a moderate conservative who delivers for Maine, even when it means defying Donald Trump. But as the incumbent Republican seeks a sixth term, national Democrats see her as newly vulnerable – zoning in on the state as a clear path to reclaiming the Senate.Collins, 73, will now face off against the presumptive Democratic nominee, Graham…