Graham Platner

Graham Cunningham Platner (born September 1, 1984) is an American oyster farmer and Marine Corps veteran who is a candidate for the Democratic nomination in the 2026 U . Senate election in Maine, seeking to challenge incumbent Republican senator Susan Collins. Born and raised in coastal Maine, Platner enlisted in the Marine corps after graduating from high school. He served eight years, including three combat tours in Iraq as a Marine and one in Afghanistan with the Maryland Army National Guard. After his military service, he worked as a State Department security contractor in Afghanistan before returning to Maine and entering the oyster farming business. There he took over an operation in 2020 and became active in local government. He announced his candidacy for the U . Senate in August 2025. Platner has been characterized as a populist and a progressive who is critical of the Democratic Party establishment. His platform focuses on issues such as housing affordability, universal health care, strengthening labor unions, reducing the political power of billionaires, and ending U . involvement in what he calls "pointless" wars. He has been endorsed by political figures such as Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.