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Susan Collins is the consummate Washington insider. After nearly three decades in office, the Maine Republican has risen to helm the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees federal spending.
Collins, a relative moderate, has kept her seat by easily dispatching one experienced challenger after another, including a Democratic former governor, a congressman, and other state leaders. As she faces reelection next year, could a political outsider who’s never sought or held elected office finally unseat her? These three candidates hope the answer is yes.
Graham Platner, an economically populist Democrat, is a sandy-haired, gravely voiced Marine veteran and oyster farmer. “Until recently, I thought that harbormaster of Sullivan, Maine, was going to be the extent of my political career,” he joked at a Labor Day rally in Portland alongside Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Dan Kleban, who entered the Democratic primary this month, cofounded the Maine Beer Company with his brother after losing his job at a local law firm during the Great Recession. Speaking over Zoom from his backyard in Cumberland, he wore a camo-patterned cap with his brewery’s name on it.
And Phillip Rench, a former SpaceX engineer who launched an independent bid against Collins earlier this year, recently took me on a tour of his 53-acre farm in rural Waterboro, near where he grew up. He and his wife, Gwendolyn, grow strawberries, homeschool their two children, and invite locals to stargaze through a research-grade telescope mounted in their backyard.
All three political newcomers say Collins has failed to use her power to rein in President Trump, essentially trying to turn her seniority and experience into liabilities. “Her pledge to kind of bring home the bacon and make people’s lives better up here, she hasn’t been able to deliver,” Kleban said.
Platner criticizes Collins for helping advance Trump’s signature tax bill, which includes cuts to Medicaid, before voting against it. Kleban blames her for not agitating against Trump’s tariffs, which have raised costs for families and businesses.
But all three also have harsh words for Democrats. Platner calls them “part of the same corporate apparatus that the Republicans are.” Kleban says his party needs to “show results” for working people. Rench faults progressives for moving “so far left.”
Many others seem unhappy with the party’s leaders, too. In Portland, Platner’s criticisms earned raucous cheers from an audience of more than 6,500 people. And for the independent Rench, attacking both parties could be an asset. To beat Collins, any successful challenger will likely have to win over voters who supported her in the past.
All three outsiders emphasize affordability. “The cost of living continues to skyrocket,” Kleban says. “Hard work,” Platner said at the rally, “is not enough for us to afford health care, to be guaranteed a living wage, to afford groceries.” Rench thinks the state’s next senator should focus on lowering housing and energy prices.
But they’re also distinct. Platner favors ending US military aid to Israel, which Kleban opposes. Platner calls billionaires and corporations “the enemy.” Kleban, who says he pays Maine Beer Company employees a living wage, wants to “prove that business can be a force for good.” Rench, who does contract engineering, borrows from both parties, supporting both gun and abortion rights.
Collins has defied polls before, but recent surveys show her job approval underwater ahead of a midterm that will likely have a relatively blue electorate. Platner (who’s 40), Kleban (48), and Rench (38) are also much younger than Collins (72) and say Maine needs younger leaders.
Age could also become a flashpoint in the Democratic primary if Governor Janet Mills, 77, jumps in. Kleban has praised Mills and left the door open to dropping out if she runs. Platner, who raised $1 million in his first nine days as a candidate, has pledged to stay in.
But the primary isn’t until June, and Collins has yet to formally declare she’ll run again. Rench, who is largely self-funding his campaign, says he’s focused for now on finding the right policies. “The election’s gonna be about who has the best economic plan for the state of Maine,” he said. “And if it’s not better than the current standard, then you’re gonna have a sixth-term Susan Collins.”
🧩 2 Down: Printer brand | 🌦️ 72° Warm, scattered showers
ICE in Milford: ICE allowed the parents of a Milford teen whom agents briefly detained last week to return home after an appointment with immigration officials. The parents, Brazilians without lawful status in the US, will have to wear ankle monitors as their asylum case proceeds. See more photos of the family.
Election upset: Somerville voters ousted Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, who conceded after unofficial results showed her failing to advance in yesterday’s preliminary election. See results from other races around Greater Boston.
Side bet: Robinhood, which operates a popular stock trading app, asked a judge to intervene after Massachusetts sued Kalshi, a Robinhood affiliate. Massachusetts says Kalshi is hosting online sports betting without a state license; Robinhood says Kalshi is following federal law.
Restitution: Boston Sports Clubs’ former CEO must pay nearly $4 million after a judge found he broke the law by continuing to bill gym members after COVID closed its facilities.
Biotech: The industry is struggling but aspiring lab technicians are still flocking to training programs around Massachusetts. And Biogen, defying the headwinds, broke ground yesterday on its new headquarters in Kendall Square.
Trump vs. Providence: The Justice Department sued the city over a loan forgiveness program that offered $25,000 to public school teachers of color with student debt, calling it “blatant race discrimination.”
RFK Jr.: Susan Monarez will testify to the Senate today about why Trump’s health secretary ousted her as CDC director last month.
TikTok: Trump is keeping the Chinese-owned social media app available in the US after reaching a framework deal with Chinese officials, defying a federal law that would have banned it or forced a sale. (AP)
Luigi Mangione: A Manhattan judge dismissed terrorism charges against the suspected killer of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO, saying prosecutors hadn’t presented enough evidence. Mangione still faces murder and weapons charges. (Gothamist)
Israel-Hamas war: Thousands of Palestinians fled as Israel intensified its attacks on Gaza City. (Al Jazeera) Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protesters in the US are confronting a changed landscape on campus as schools punish protests they say are antisemitic and Trump tries to reshape higher education.
By Teresa Hanafin
🍴 Where to eat this fall: Omakase, barbecue, seafood … A new crop of restaurants opened over the summer, and more are on the way.
🖼️ Gorey at Harvard: Edward Gorey is an acquired taste, writes visual arts critic Mark Feeney, and many have acquired it. An exhibition at Houghton Library marks the author-artist-illustrator’s centenary this year.
⚾️ Still together: Remember the buzz back in 2013 when former NESN reporter Jenny Dell and former Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks tried to hide their budding romance? Yeah, we didn’t care either, but they were back at Fenway together recently, so we wrote about it.
💰 We meant until we ran out of money: Publishers Clearing House promised winners checks for the rest of their lives. Then it went bankrupt. (CNN)
🏈 Meet Katie Patton: She’s one of the highest-ranking women in college football, and she’s a 24-year-old at Harvard.
💌 Love Letters: She wants to get married. He doesn’t. Meredith’s advice? There are ways to work this out. But you’ll have to read the column to find out how.
🎥 Robert Redford: Read Globe critic Odie Henderson’s appreciation of the Oscar-winning actor and director, who died yesterday at 89, and see where to stream Redford’s movies.
Thanks for reading Starting Point.
This newsletter was edited by Teresa Hanafin.
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