I’m a progressive Democratic voter, whose values are aligned with the politics of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. I would love to see Sen. Susan Collins lose the next election. But I’m frustrated by the Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate that Maine voters have been given.

Although I appreciate Gov. Janet Mills’ service to the state as attorney general and governor, she is too much of an establishment figure and too intransigently moderate. Her positions, from her opposition last year to a red flag law to her support for keeping the Senate filibuster, do not match my progressive stances.

Graham Platner, meanwhile, is a maddening figure. Many people in the media call him a progressive, but even he admits he’s isn’t. Aside from his past social media posts and his implausible claim that he didn’t know he had a Totenkopf on his chest, his stance on gun control, including his opposition to an assault weapons ban, is well to the right of the national Democratic Party. The fervor with which he talks about his love of firearms borders on zealotry and is — to me, anyway — genuinely frightening. And, I fear he wouldn’t be responsive to constituents. I’ve contacted his campaign several times to ask about his positions. I’ve received no reply.

I don’t know how I’m going to vote on June 9. An actual progressive would be my preference, but at the very least, I’m hoping for clarity between now and the primary.

Michael Magras
Freeport