Unless some new major scandal leads the Democratic establishment to replace Graham Platner on the ballot in the next 30 days, the choice for U. S. Senate from Maine is between Democrat Graham Platner,44, and Republican Susan Collins, 77. Yet again, voters in November will be presented with two bad choices, but for quite different reasons.

Collins has served since her first election in 1996. A Republican in a state that has supported the Democratic presidential nominee in every election since 1992, she has always been a formidable candidate, regularly underestimated. Constituent service has been her strong suit. She “shows up” locally. Her Senate Appropriations Committee chairmanship has translated into even more money for Maine’s firehouses, roads, housing and other projects.  Traditionally, when voters are faced with two bad choices, the advantage goes to the incumbent. This year, given public hunger for change, the outcome could be different.

Collins touts her independence, but she never deviates from her party when her vote would change the outcome. The one exception seems to be her opposition to repealing the Affordable Care Act, a nod to Maine’s greatly under-served rural voters. (Her concern about health did not extend to rejecting RFK Jr for Human Services Secretary.)

Her siding with the Democrats in rejecting the nomination of Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense and in approving liberal Justice Ketanji Jackson were inconsequential to the outcome. But, if she had not voted with her party on Brett Kavanaugh, he would not be an Associate Justice on the nation’s highest court. Now Collins – and the rest of us – must live with the results of his embrace of the Dobbs decision, eviscerating Roe v. Wade and the right to choose an abortion. She also voted for Neil Gorsuch. She voted with Trump 95 percent during his second term. (Note: this is not your grandfather’s Senate. According to Congressional Quarterly, since the 1980’s both Republican and Democratic Senators have shown that high level of unity when in the majority.)

What is most exasperating about Collins is that, in the name of being “deliberative,” she’ll kabuki-dance and wait till the last minute on crucial votes – and then she’ll cave. Equally performative was when she was photographed holding a Maga hat in the Oval Office at the signing of the so-called Big Beautiful Bill. Holding the hat rather than wearing it doesn’t forgive her having sided with Trump nearly all the time during his current term.

Much hangs in the balance. It’s not insignificant that a vote for or against Collins could decide who controls the Senate itself. Donald Trump is, in effect, on the ballot. In 2024, people scoffed when presidential candidate Kamala Harris warned that the future of democracy was at stake. Today’s reality has provided concrete evidence of the risk.

Platner comes with his own baggage. Oyster farmer and marine veteran, he presents himself as a rough-hewn progressive populist with serious appeal to working class Mainers. At first glance, he was the fresh face “from here” authentic challenger Dems dreamed of. But in recent months Maine voters have been exposed to a cascade of  well-publicized issues of his highly questionable personal character, the Nazi tattoo,  his misogynistic social media posts, his  sexually explicit texts, and women coming forth with charges of his toxic behavior. He’s also had to disavow a history of  earlier outrageous Reddit posts. On Tuesday night, he won only 72 percent of the Democratic primary vote, with no organized opposition.

To be sure, people with disreputable pasts can change and go on to creditable careers. Remember that long-serving West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd organized the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan and illustrious Supreme Court Justice Hugo Block was, in his youth, a Klan member. Young Texan Lyndon Johnson accommodated segregationists at home but, as Senator and President, went on to create some of our most enlightened national policies.

“Believe the women” is an important first step.   But doing so should not preclude sifting truthful charges from those embellished or weaponized for wrongful motives. We should remember  the Me Too movement’s over-the-top criticism of Minnesota Senator (and former SNL comedian) Al Franken’s comedic staged  photo and too touchy feely behavior. His behavior was wrong but should not have driven him from office.

In Tuesday’s victory speech, Platner  said he believes in redemption and is trying every day to be a better person. His wife stands by him.  I too believe in redemption for some people, but achieving it will involve his being more forthright in his answers, not defaulting to blaming the media, and not having even more damaging –once disqualifying– skeletons in his closet.

There are reasons to take a deep breath and support Platner, but at least we must be honest about our lowering of the bar. Trump’s “shoot someone on Fifth Avenue” electoral success has so diminished the threshold for candidate qualifications that perhaps now almost anything goes. Indeed, there’s now a so-called “dude-bro culture” nationally that could redound to Platner’s benefit with male voters, including some Republicans, in November.  

In the general election, the outcome may hinge more on older independent female voters, who didn’t vote in the primary.While I live in Massachusetts, I’m tied to Maine by fond memories of summers as a child and yearly trips as an adult and know some of these cross-pressured independent women.  To them I say the policy calculus ultimately dominates the personal conduct assessment, particularly when physical abuse allegations are denied and a lead accuser has documented connections to the Heritage Foundation and other GOP-related groups that at least raise the question of motivation.

Some of Platner’s policy positions may be naïve or simplistic, but the most important question is what he as senator will be able to do compared to what Collins has already done. A vote for either is a choice of which party controls the chamber, which bills get voted on, and which nominees get confirmed.

Platner is still not fully formed politically. He has never served in a legislative body.  He may have less-sophisticated policy instincts than does Collins, but would they not produce better outcomes for Maine voters than hers on health care, reproductive rights and economic security?

Pine Tree State voters in November will have to choose between Platner’s unknowns,  flawed personal morality and simplistic slogan-based policies versus Collins’s 95 percent support of Donald Trump – and the President’s wanton corruption, illegal actions and authoritarian instincts. Between a relatively young man who, out of patriotism, did four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and was severely harmed by PTSD, and a woman who supported the war in Iraq and refused to support a war powers resolution limiting military action against Iran. Between a man who, having rejected PAC money, gets his funds mostly from small donors online, and a woman who gets about one-third of her money from billionaires and large donations from health care, finance and defense industries, Wall Street private equity/hedge funds, AIPAC  and other political action committees, including her own Pine Tree Results  PAC, and other dark money sources

Brace yourself for a growing onslaught of negative ads especially designed to turn off women, especially independent women, from voting for Platner or just staying home. Yes, a vote for him is uncomfortable. But today’s situation requires voters to separate personally distasteful behavior from gross wrongdoing in one’s official capacity, affecting right and wrong in the public arena.

It’s also important to remember that 2018 Collins vote for Justice Kavanaugh.  If Justice Samuel Alito or Sonia Sotomayor resigns due to illness or infirmity, do we want Platner or Collins again to be in the position of casting the deciding vote on a Trump nominee? A bill to restore Roe v. Wade rights won’t happen without a Democratic Senate majority.

Elections have consequences.

As the saying goes, don’t compare me to the Almighty; compare me to the alternative.

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