Could the Maine Senate race determine the future of the Democratic party?

On Point with Meghna Chakrabarti

WBUR

Talk Show, Daily News, News, Npr, On Point, Daily

4.2 • 3.5K Ratings

🗓️ 17 October 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A handful of Democrat says they’re coming for Maine Senator Susan Collins' seat. But first they have to capture the soul of the Democratic party.

Transcript

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0:57.3	This is On Point. I'm Magna Chakrabardi.
1:04.8	The 26 midterms may be over a year away, but in Maine, things are already getting spicy.
1:15.2	The fracture is going to be between that energy that really wants to make the party what it should be and the entrenched power where it currently stands.
1:22.9	Nobody pulls my strings. Nobody in D.C., not Chuck Schumer or Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump. People who may know that, too.
1:29.9	Well, that was Democratic Senate hopefuls Graham Platner first, and current main governor Janet Mills second.
1:35.3	Mills is the state's current governor, and she announced her candidacy earlier this week.
1:45.0	She's a champion of the state's Democratic Party and a stalwart member of the state's political class, a seasoned public servant who's been successful in two statewide campaigns.
1:50.2	Most recently, she defeated Paul LePage, the former governor and proto-Trump conservative.
1:53.6	Now, Graham Platner is a different character.
1:59.9	An oyster farmer and former Marine infantryman, he launched his campaign back in August.
	...

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