In American politics right now, for the party out of power, there is this strategic puzzle.

It is clear for Democrats that it's urgent they try something different to stop losing.

At the same time, the stakes feel so high that trying something too different feels foolish to some.

Democratic primary voters in Maine are weighing this choice right now.

They've got to choose a challenger to Susan Collins,

the long-serving Republican senator to build Democratic power.

The two-term governor Janet Mills is running,

but she is currently trailing an upstart challenger in polls.

Graham Platner, a combat veteran who nine months ago had never considered running for office.

He lives in his hometown of 1,000 people where he runs an oyster farming business with his wife.

He says they made about $60,000 last year. He says he owns no stocks and bonds,

and he left college before earning a degree. I've been watching this race for a while because I'm a

former political reporter, and I grew up in a rural state, West Virginia, where Democrats have lost

the ability to win over the course of my lifetime. So I thought this guy in a rural state, West Virginia, where Democrats have lost the ability to win over the course of my lifetime.

So I thought this guy in a rural state was curious, even more so that he's got the support of

some of Zoran Mamdani's campaign team. And I followed it when in October, the Platner campaign was

hit with embarrassing revelations, stupid Reddit post from his

past that he wrote when he was very much an adult, and about his chest tattoo, a skull and bones

design that looks very much like imagery the Nazi police used during World War II.

He says he had no idea of those origins and promptly got it covered up,

but it raised this question. Did a U.S. Senate campaign get built up around a guy that wasn't

ready for prime time? And it also raised the question, who ought to get disqualified from running

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