I’m hugely encouraged by data from the latest Pine Tree State Poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire. United States Marine Corps veteran Graham Platner is rocking Maine’s political establishment by telling it like it is. Americans are losing our unalienable rights of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness to unending, insatiable greed and corruption. Mainers understand this and it’s why they support him.

Platner’s 38-point edge over Gov. Janet Mills in this same poll back in October has only increased over the past four months, despite smear campaigns attempting to tear him down.

As a longtime registered Democrat, I implore Gov. Mills to read the room. She has done great work for the people of Maine during her lengthy career in public service as a state representative, attorney general and governor, and we are grateful. However, Democratic leadership in Washington is failing to protect us and our democracy from an unprecedented assault. Moneyed elites and massive corporations are wresting control from the people and ceding it to the billionaire class.

We’ve reached an inflection point. Sen. Susan Collins must be defeated, and Mills claims she is the only one who can. This is proven objectively false by UNH’s poll’s results showing Platner beating Collins outright by double digits, while Mills is mired in toss-up territory. It’s time for Mills to offer a final meaningful act of public service to Mainers: retire, and let Platner help chart a new direction for the United States.

Peter Cookson
Glenburn