If recent polling is accurate, it could well be that high-priced consultants from out of state have managed to tank another Democrat who was considered the establishment choice by Chuck Schumer and the DSCC. We won't know for sure until the primary on June 9, but Platner appears to have the clear edge at this point.
Source: Drop Site News
On March 19, Gov. Janet Mills attended the Hancock County Democrats’ monthly meeting to answer questions from prospective voters ahead of the upcoming U.S. Senate primary. Days earlier, the Mills campaign released an ad attacking her Democratic primary opponent Graham Platner over disparaging remarks he made on Reddit in 2013 about victims of rape.
Drop Site has obtained a Zoom recording of the Q&A with Mills, showing significant dissatisfaction with the attacks among voters in Platner’s home county. The negative ad—which features Democratic Party consultants—was released on March 17, as multiple polls showed Mills trailing Platner in the primary and underperforming him in general election matchups against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
The recording begins with a question from a Hancock County woman concerned by the recent negative tone of the Mills campaign.
“I’m a member of the #MeToo generation, and I was offended by your ad. I’d very much like you to run a clean campaign,” the female Hancock County voter says to Mills. “Let’s have a positive campaign. I don’t think anyone should be attacking another Democrat, right before the primary, and using underhanded means and that kind of language. What you have done is wonderful. So, speak about what you have done, don’t demolish the other candidate in an underhanded way. And I’m sorry, that’s not a question, that’s a statement.”
Mills tried to counter with the usual "voters have a right to know" line, but you can tell from her facial expression that she wasn't prepared for this type of response from what should have been her target audience: older, mostly female Democrats who did not like her attack ads. And in a sense, it was predictable, as the high-priced D.C. consultants sent in by the DSCC to help Janet Mills probably did her more harm than good.
Since her ads came out in recent weeks, Mills has seen a precipitous decline in the polls. Most notably, she's now trailing Platner by 18 points among women in the Emerson poll.
One of her ads, notably featuring longtime Democratic operatives, like Peggy Schaffer, former Maine Dems Vice Chair, instead of ordinary people.
And the leaked video of the Hancock County Democrats.
