Combat veteran turned oysterman Graham Platner won a big win over Janet Mills and now is the Democratic candidate for Maine’s Senate seat, which is currently held by Susan Collins.
In his first speech as the official Democratic candidate, Graham talked about his connection to Maine, the struggles he faced with PTSD after serving in Iraq, and how he has been working hard to recover from the horrors of war.
He clearly said he is there to fight for working families and not for the rich and powerful.
“I am a son of rural Maine,” he started.
“I was a kid who picked blueberries in the summer and one day I signed up to fight for my country. When I came back, I carried the weight of long wars and the loneliness and pain that came with it.”
“But I am also lucky to have found a way back, a life on the sea, in a home and a community that gave me love and the chance to be redeemed.
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“Redemption isn’t a simple or easy path; it’s a journey.
I’ve made mistakes, ones I regret, that I live with, and I’m still learning from them. I’m not perfect. But every day I try to be a little better and a little kinder than the day before.”
“And if you give me the chance, I will be the senator who fights for the people who can’t afford to buy a senator.
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“I will stand up for you against billionaires and greedy companies.
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“I will serve the people of Maine, not lobbyists or party bosses.
I will fight for your dreams, no matter the cost. I will fight for you.”
“I was willing to die for my country.
There is nothing I will not do for Maine.”
“Now the national media and political leaders are always looking for one story, one headline, one moment to define my campaign.
But they fail to understand that this isn’t about me at all.”
“This is a movement about us, about the many working hard and struggling too much at the hands of the ruling class.
This isn’t a story of my hardship; it’s the story of our hardship.”
“It’s about every working man who used to be able to work, save enough to send their kids to college, but can’t anymore.
That hard work isn’t enough now. This campaign isn’t about how the political establishment counted me out. It’s about how long they’ve ignored the voices of people without money to buy influence.”
“But they don’t know Maine!
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” Susan Collins has used her power and privilege to get $60 million in federal contracts, $60 million of our tax dollars, for her husband.
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“If that’s not corruption, I don’t know what is.
In just fifteen years, Susan Collins has become 21 times wealthier. Has anyone else gotten 21 times richer? Does Maine have 21 times more schools and hospitals? No. We have less.”
” Susan Collins is getting rich while we’re getting screwed.
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BOOM.
Susan Collins has no idea what’s coming for her. Her fake image of being a “moderate” and “bipartisan” has been exposed as a lie. Now the failures and excesses of the Trump administration will drag her down like an anchor on Platner’s oyster boat.
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