Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner holds a significant lead over Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) in the state’s Democratic Senate primary, according to a Thursday poll.
Platner, who has painted himself as a political newcomer, leads Mills, a longtime staple in Maine politics, 55% to 28%, according to an Emerson College Polling survey. Thirteen percent of the respondents said they were undecided.
“Graham Platner has a significant lead over Governor Mills, which is outside the poll’s margin of error,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. “Male voters support Platner by a 41-point margin, 63% to 22%, while women support Platner by an 18-point margin, 50% to 32%.”
The poll also indicated that both Platner and Mills have an edge over incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in hypothetical general election matchups.
Platner’s favorability comes as he has faced increased scrutiny over his past in recent weeks.
Mills has released two attack ads, the most recent one on Thursday, against Platner, highlighting sexist comments he made on the internet more than 10 years ago. The posts, which resurfaced in October, included comments suggesting women should “not get so f***ed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to” and that women should “act like an adult” to avoid rape.
The ad followed a different poll indicating that Platner was leading the two-term governor.
MAINE SENATE HOPEFUL GRAHAM PLATNER RESPONDS TO ATTACK AD OVER PAST SEXIST COMMENTS
Platner has repeatedly apologized for the comments, saying he was “horrified” and that he did not “recognize the man on the other side of the posts.” Platner said the posts were made in a difficult time shortly after he served in the military in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Platner has also secured endorsements from prominent Democrats, including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).