Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner on Monday drew more than 500 people to the first of a series of town halls he's holding across the state, using the event to hammer Republican Sen. Susan Collins and national leaders in the Democratic Party.
Since he launched his campaign in August, Platner has sought to channel Democratic voters' simmering anger with Collins and their disillusionment with the national party.
Speaking to a capacity crowd at a local brewery in Ellsworth, the oyster farmer and military veteran framed both as proxies for corporations and wealthy interests that have used the political system for enrichment while working class Americans struggle to get by.
He urged attendees to join what he says is a movement to retake the party and change that system.
"And so it is up to us to build that power down here and turn our party back into the party that we want it to be and that we need it to be," he said.
He added, "Now for the easy lines ... Susan Collins has gotta go."
A spokesman for Platner said the campaign had expected 200 attendees at the event, but more than 850 signed up. During the event, the beer garden at Fogtown Brewing Co. was completely full. People also listened from an adjacent parking lot and the streets behind the stage.
Platner's campaign says that it's amassed 6,000 volunteers since his senate bid launched in August. On Monday, Platner said that apparatus will soon canvass voters and urge them to vote against Question 1, a referendum that would bring a series of new restrictions to Maine's absentee voting laws while also requiring photo identification to vote. He said the proposal needs to be stopped to preserve poll accessibility for all voters.
"We need to do it because it is being done to destroy our democracy," he said. "And we need to fight for our democracy."
Platner is one of eight Democrats in the Senate race so far. Two of the most recent entrants to the race are Maine Beer Co. co-founder Dan Kleban of Cumberland and Daira Smith-Rodriguez, a former Air Force employee from Biddeford.
Gov. Janet Mills is also casting a long shadow over the race even though she's not yet in it. She's a top recruiting target for national Democratic leaders and has recently ramped up her public appearances.
