The latest addition to the pool of Democrats seeking to challenge Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is doubling down on Zohran Mamdani-style socialism, says the chief of Maine's Republican Party.
Democrat Graham Platner launched his campaign highlighting his history as an Army and Marine veteran as well as an oyster farmer, but state GOP chief Jason Savage told Fox News Digital that rural accolades aren't policy positions. He pointed to Platner's hiring of a top Mamdani advisor, Morris Katz, to produce his campaign launch video.
In that video, Platner rails against the "oligarchy" and endorses universal healthcare. His website features messaging that claims the U.S. has a "billionaire economy," and that - if elected - Platner would view it as a key part of his job "to dismantle" it.
"Graham Platner is Maine's Mamdani," Savage told Fox News Digital in an interview. "He brought in the Mamdani team to support his campaign. He's out doing a lot of work with socialist groups.… He's a Bernie bro."
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"What we're seeing here is the exporting of the Mamdani ideology to the state of Maine because they think that they can gain ground in a small state where things aren't as expensive," he added.
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"You can look through Graham Platner's donor history, and you can see that he donated to Harris for President, Bernie Sanders, Ilhan Omar," he continued, arguing that far-left candidates are a major threat to the Democratic Party.
Platner's campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
"If commonsense Democrats, and then the leadership like [Sen.] Chuck Schumer don't do something and say that isn't the future of our party, then they're gonna run in a bunch of these races. and we're gonna beat them," he said.
Savage argued that the Democratic Party's embracing of the far left is a "double-edged sword." He said Democratic candidates can't succeed without the "extreme wing" of the party, and now "they've created a monster that they don't have the ability to control."
"In the long run, it's going to be catastrophic for them. I mean, Graham Platner advocates for allowing men to be in girls' and women's sports," Savage said. "He advocates for all sorts of policies that are very, very unpopular, and the Democrats can't say anything to stop that."
The Democratic challenger list against Collins is growing, and reports say those already in office are trying to tap Janet Mills, the state's 77-year-old Democratic governor, for the seat.
Republicans currently control the majority of the Senate by a 53-47 margin. Democrats would need to flip four seats in the 2026 midterm elections to take the majority.
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A spokesperson for Collins told Fox News Digital that Platner is "just another progressive entering the race."
Fox News' Pilar Arias contributed to this report
