{"id":3557,"date":"2026-06-25T14:35:38","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T14:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557"},"modified":"2026-06-25T14:35:38","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T14:35:38","slug":"graham-platner-targets-susan-collins-in-first-policy-roll-out-of-the-general-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557","title":{"rendered":"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

Graham Platner is making his first big policy splash since becoming Maine Democrats\u2019 nominee for Senate \u2014 and it\u2019s the clearest distillation yet of how he plans to make his general election case against Republican Senator Susan Collins.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Game 79: Yankees at Red Sox lineups and notes<\/a><\/p>\n

Platner\u2019s \u201ccorruption crackdown\u201d policy platform includes proposals to reform campaign finance, lobbying, and federal lawmaker conduct while in office, according to a copy first shared with the Globe.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe establishment has rigged the system with legalized corruption and poisoned our elections with billionaire money and a politics that enriches the powerful at the expense of working people,\u201d Platner said in a statement. \u201cWe\u2019re taking this fight directly to Susan Collins and her billionaire donors, and we won\u2019t stop until power is returned to the working people of Maine.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

The proposals suggest how Platner might continue to articulate his populist, stridently progressive opposition to billionaire and corporate influence if he goes to Washington. But for now, they mostly point to what attacks on Collins his camp believes will get him there.<\/span><\/p>\n

For instance, many of Platner\u2019s positions on how to curb the influence of money in politics double as expressions of policy as well as critiques of Collins. He favors overturning the Supreme Court\u2019s Citizens United <\/i>decision, which opened the door for unlimited super PAC spending, as well as banning corporate political action committees altogether. <\/span><\/p>\n

Many Democrats agree with those positions, but Collins does not \u2014 a difference that Platner is aiming to highlight as he bets that broader voter exhaustion with money in politics will fuel his populist campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

Platner is also backing a ban on lawmakers\u2019 ability to trade stocks while in office, another policy that has broad support \u2014 including from Republicans \u2014 but not from Collins. He also criticizes the existing STOCK Act, which requires lawmakers and their spouses to report trades made by themselves or a spouse within 45 days, and was in part crafted by Collins. The law is routinely violated on both sides of the aisle, including by Collins\u2019 husband earlier this year, with virtually no penalties or repercussions.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beyond that, Platner proposes a lifetime ban on lobbying by former members of Congress, an idea advanced in bipartisan legislation authored by Senator Elizabeth Warren and Senator Rick Scott, a Florida Republican. <\/span><\/p>\n

He also outlines plans to curb defense industry influence on, and profits from, the U.S. military, a critique clearly personal to the Iraq and Afghanistan veteran. He favors \u201clifetime restrictions\u201d barring senior military and Pentagon officials from lobbying or serving on boards at defense contractors. (This is a more aggressive version of another proposal from Warren, who was a key endorser of Platner.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Why we need a ballot question to fix ballot questions<\/a><\/p>\n

The item that Platner\u2019s team may be most eager to highlight in the plan is also the most questionable claim. He proposes a law to \u201crequire a senator to recuse themselves from any vote, decision, or oversight activity involving an agency from which their spouse\u2019s [lobbying] firm receives government contracts.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Platner dubs it the \u201cCollins Rule,\u201d because Collins\u2019 husband Tom Daffron, formerly a lobbyist, saw his firm awarded substantial federal contracts from agencies overseen by Collins\u2019 Senate committees.<\/span><\/p>\n

While congressional lawmakers determine how much executive branch agencies spend \u2014 and can make laws and launch investigations regarding federal contracts \u2014 they do not individually direct contract awards or administer the process. Daffron and Collins wed in 2012, six years after he had ceased being an active lobbyist, but heremained employed by Jefferson Consulting Group until leaving the firm in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Collins campaign did not immediately provide comment on Platner\u2019s policy push. However, in a statement to the Bangor Daily News about a recent Platner attack ad that referenced the lobbying claims, Collins spokesman Shawn Roderick said \u201cPlatner can\u2019t run on a record of results, and now that he\u2019s sinking in the polls faster than an oyster boat with a hole in it, he resorts to lying about [Collins\u2019] husband.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHis accusations are long on outrage, short on evidence, and based on already debunked lies,\u201d Roderick said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scrutiny of Collins\u2019 husband\u2019s lobbying ties has formed a core part of Platner\u2019s early messaging, but he\u2019s not the first Democrat to try the tactic. It was also a thread in Collins\u2019 last campaign, in 2020, when Democratic challenger Sara Gideon also ran ads on the subject. (The ads were judged \u201cmostly false\u201d by Politifact.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Six years later, Platner may hope these attacks will resonate moreamong an electorate that could be more ready to move on from long-serving politicians, even popular ones like Collins. They also represent the strategy behind Platner\u2019s pivot to the general election \u2014 and his attempt to redirect scrutiny away from his own considerable personal baggage and make the race the referendum on Collins that Democrats have long wanted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Platner\u2019s corruption messaging also addresses President Donald Trump, an unpopular figure in Maine who Democrats hope yet again to link to Collins. Noting Trump\u2019s extensive family business dealings and donor influence, Platner proposes requiring a president to divest, or place in a blind trust, their business interests while in office. He also suggests measures to strengthen the Federal Trade Commission, a consumer regulatory agency, to bolster its independence to scrutinize how donors might benefit from presidential decisions. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Dianna Russini was an NFL \u2018insider.\u2019 Was she also out of bounds?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The proposals center on reforms to campaign finance, lobbying and the actions of federal lawmakers during their tenure as well as after they leave office. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nGraham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election - Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The proposals center on reforms to campaign finance, lobbying and the actions of federal lawmakers during their tenure as well as after they leave office.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Boston Relocation Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-25T14:35:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\"},\"headline\":\"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T14:35:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557\"},\"wordCount\":922,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/70e8b6a599d4999645c829e90b51ca64.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Politics\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557\",\"name\":\"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election - Boston Relocation Insider\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/70e8b6a599d4999645c829e90b51ca64.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-25T14:35:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/70e8b6a599d4999645c829e90b51ca64.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/70e8b6a599d4999645c829e90b51ca64.jpg\",\"width\":1440,\"height\":960},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?p=3557#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Boston Relocation Insider\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election - Boston Relocation Insider","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election - Boston Relocation Insider","og_description":"The proposals center on reforms to campaign finance, lobbying and the actions of federal lawmakers during their tenure as well as after they leave office.","og_url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557","og_site_name":"Boston Relocation Insider","article_published_time":"2026-06-25T14:35:38+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e"},"headline":"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election","datePublished":"2026-06-25T14:35:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557"},"wordCount":922,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/70e8b6a599d4999645c829e90b51ca64.jpg","articleSection":["Politics"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557","name":"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election - Boston Relocation Insider","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/70e8b6a599d4999645c829e90b51ca64.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-25T14:35:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/70e8b6a599d4999645c829e90b51ca64.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/70e8b6a599d4999645c829e90b51ca64.jpg","width":1440,"height":960},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3557#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Graham Platner targets Susan Collins in first policy roll out of the general election"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/","name":"Boston Relocation Insider","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/#\/schema\/person\/c08a982d5d5e7124cea9158df226037e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com"],"url":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}