r/GrahamPlatnerForMaine

On The Daily Show he told a funny story about how it happened but he did not say specifically who asked him to run. Google says: A coalition of labor and community groups approached Graham Platner in July 2025, asking him to consider running for the U.S. Senate.

I would love to know who and the whole story. Is this information available? Thank you for any help.

The North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters endorses Platner.

Platner: “Power in society comes from two places, organized money or organized people and we all know that the money is organized and it has bought our political system.”

"Graham Platner and Troy Jackson will join U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, at rallies in Portland and Orono over Memorial Day weekend.

The rallies at the University of Maine in Orono on May 24 and Brick South at Thompson’s Point in Portland on May 25 are part of the Vermont senator’s Fighting Oligarchy Tour.

The three progressives formally announced the events on Thursday.

Sanders was early to endorse Platner, an oyster farmer and the presumptive Democratic nominee in Maine’s U.S. Senate race; and Jackson, a former Maine Senate president who is vying for a gubernatorial primary win.

The Vermont independent rallied with the two candidates on Labor Day in Portland. Both Platner, 41, of Sullivan, and Jackson, 57, of Allagash, have carried a message similar to Sanders’ throughout their campaigns, positioning themselves as outsiders taking on the political establishment.

The May 24 rally at UMaine will be held at the Collins Center for the Arts, where doors will open at 4:30 p.m. and the rally is to kick off at 6 p.m. Doors will open at 4 p.m. for the Portland rally, which is set to officially begin at 7 p.m. May 25."

"It seems especially fitting in this election year to remember a decision that reshaped the lives of women in Maine and across the country: Sen. Susan Collins’ vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court.

In the months following Kavanaugh’s nomination hundreds of people, mostly women, protested and implored Sen. Collins to vote “No” on his appointment. Dr. Christine Blasey Ford had contacted Sen. Dianne Feinstein in July 2018 to report that she had been sexually assaulted by Kavanaugh years earlier. Given the crude attitudes toward women held by the president who nominated Kavanaugh, the report by Dr. Ford caught the attention of hundreds of Maine constituents and women nationwide.

In September of 2018, protesters packed the hallways and office of Sen. Collins’ Portland office to emotionally share their own stories. We sat and listened to the stories, often moved to tears by the bravery the women displayed and the trauma they had suffered. At 5 p.m. on the day of the protest, the staff asked people to leave. Two minutes later, the staff directed the Portland Police to arrest us, which they did. We were handcuffed, escorted out and charged with criminal trespassing. Others were arrested in her office in the following days.

Dr. Ford courageously testified before Congress on Sept. 27 in a hearing reminiscent of another hearing — that of Anita Hill during the confirmation hearings for Clarence Thomas. Brave women speaking their truths before dismissive powerful men. Powerful men being anointed with lifelong seats on the highest court in the U.S.

At the same time, the stakes were clear. Advocates warned that Kavanaugh could help overturn Roe v. Wade, ending federal protections for reproductive rights and rolling back decades of progress. That warning proved correct and set the status of women back to the last century.

Protests continued throughout October with hundreds of constituents flooding Sen. Collins with demonstrations, emails and phone calls. Unable to speak directly with the senator in Maine, protesters travelled to Washington to ask Collins to hear them in her D.C. office. Many were arrested.

During her speech on the House floor when she was casting her vote Sen. Collins said that she had spoken with thousands of Mainers about Brett Kavanaugh. It may be true that thousands contacted her urging her to vote no. Saying that she actually spoke with them is laughable.

We know that she did speak with Kavanaugh and believed him when she said he would follow precedent regarding Roe v. Wade. He did not and here we are, and the consequences are undeniable: women dying, unable to access healthcare, being relegated to second class citizens unworthy of even emergency care in some cases. 

When Mainers go to the polls this November they should remember the catastrophic impact Susan Collins’ actions have had on the women of Maine and this country. Vote her out before more damage is done."