AUGUSTA — An oyster farmer from Sullivan announced his run for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday.
Graham Platner, a Marine and Army veteran, is running in the Democratic primary for the right to challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in November 2026, according to a press release.
“Year after year, we send people to Washington who say they will fight for working people, and year after year, they let us down,” he said in a statement. “If working people want to be truly represented in Washington, we need to send working people to Congress.”
Platner is a native of Blue Hill and was raised in Ellsworth and Sullivan. After high school, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and served three deployments in Iraq, according to his campaign. He then joined the Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan.
He is currently an oyster farmer on Frenchman Bay and serves as Sullivan harbormaster and on the local planning board.
Platner joins Democrat Jordan Wood of Bristol, David Costello of Brunswick and several others who have filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.
On the Republican side, Carmen Calabrese of Kennebunkport has filed to challenge Collins in the primary but has yet to report any fundraising totals. Independent Philip Rench has filed to run as an independent.
Collins, chairwoman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, is seeking her sixth term in the Senate.
