The Democrats fight back Trump-style in Maine… but have they messed up?

**Anthony Zurcher** (0:00)
Hello, it's Anthony, and you're about to hear Americast. We're delighted to have you with us. And if you enjoy what you hear, please do consider subscribing to the podcast. That way, you'll never miss an episode. Now, on with today.

**Justin Webb** (0:13)
Have the Democrats messed up, or have they just played a master stroke? The state of Maine in the northeast of America, the far northeast, bordering Canada, is at the center of a fierce debate within the party, the consequences of which are potentially seismic. Democrats looking to win back control of the Senate in this November's midterms need to win Maine. But can they do it with the candidate they have picked? Graham Platner, an oyster fisherman from Maine, no political experience, multiple allegations about his conduct and his behavior, particularly towards women in his past. He says he's changed.

**Graham Platner** (0:50)
I've made mistakes in my life, mistakes that I regret, that I live with, and that I continue to learn from.
And I'm still far from perfect. But every day I wake up and I try to be a little bit better and a little bit kinder than I was the day before.

**Justin Webb** (1:07)
Everyone agrees he's not a typical candidate for the Democrats, and Graham Platner is going to be running against the Republicans' longest-serving female senator. So will the Democrats' massive gamble pay off, or have they potentially messed up their chances of taking back the Senate? Welcome to Americast.

**Donald Trump** (1:26)
Americast.

**Fiona Coleman** (1:27)
Americast, from BBC News.

**Donald Trump** (1:29)
You hear that sound? Oh, I think when I hear that sound, it reminds me of money.

**SPEAKER_6** (1:34)
We didn't start this war, but under President Trump, we are finishing it. This is a big cover-up, and this administration is engaged in it.

**SPEAKER_7** (1:41)
This guy has Trump derangement syndrome.

**SPEAKER_8** (1:44)
I have four words for you. Turn the volume up.

**Anthony Zurcher** (1:53)
Hello, it's Anthony, and I'm here in the BBC Bureau in Washington, DC, but that's not where I started my day. I woke up at the crack of dawn this morning in Bangor, Maine.

**Justin Webb** (2:03)
It's just in the worldwide headquarters of Americast in London, England, and the time in Britain is just 10 past three or so in the afternoon on Wednesday, and Anthony, what a trip and what a time to go there because, oh my goodness, you've witnessed history in the making. And something that, and let's be blunt about it, this could be enormously influential what you've just seen and experienced when it comes to November and the Democrats chances.

**Anthony Zurcher** (2:30)
Yeah, we've talked about this race before. Of course, it's the Graham Platner race to become the Senate Democratic nominee to take on Susan Collins, the incumbent who has served in the Senate for 30 years now. This is the high stakes race in the upcoming midterms. This is a state that could decide which party controls the Senate after November's midterm elections. And that's because this is the one state that Kamala Harris won in 2024 that a Republican senator is up for re-election in. In fact, a Republican hasn't won for president statewide, won the state of Maine since 1988 So this has been a state that has been on the Democrats' target for quite some time. And Susan Collins keeps defying gravity, but they think that this is the year.
And if they can get Maine to flip, then it'll make it much easier to find the three other states, Republican states, they need to flip to take back control of the Senate.

**Justin Webb** (3:25)
And just set the Maine scene because you've gone on a fantastic time of year, haven't you? And I get, I mean, it's not all politics, is it, to put it mildly, which is kind of quite important actually for what we're going to be talking about. But it's just such an amazing place. It's mostly my memory of it. It's got a lot of sea and then Canada, pretty much. I mean, it's hardly attached to the rest of the United States.

**Anthony Zurcher** (3:45)
The northeastern tip of the United States, and it's very rural and it's bigger, I think, than a lot of people imagine geographically, but still very small as far as the population goes. 1.4 million people, I think, spread out over the state. A lot of them are around Portland and the western portions of state that are essentially suburbs of Boston. I flew into Portland on Sunday night. It's an artsy kind of town, a really cool, hip place. They have a lot of breweries, good little lobster roll places if you're a lobster fan and live music and things. And then you drive out east, which is just where the state stretches on, and you get out about a three hour drive from Portland. That's where I was last night in Blue Hill, Maine, which is Graham Platner's birthplace. It's a tiny little town on the coast. And I think Platner picked that as the site of his election night watch party. It's a big YMCAA gymnasium there because he wanted to emphasize the fact that he comes from rural Maine. In fact, that's what he says time and time again, he's a product of Maine, a product of rural Maine.