The 42-year-old candidate describes himself as a "New Deal Democrat." Graham Platner earned the "most likely to start a revolution" yearbook superlative as a senior at John Bapst High School in 2003, appearing in the photo with a sign declaring "Free Kosova, Chechnya, Kashmir, Palestine, Kurdistan, Tibet".[7][8] When he was 18, he was quoted in the Bangor Daily News after protesting President George W. Bush and the illegal Iraq War at an appearance by Bush at Bangor International Airport.

Graham Platner served three combat tours in Iraq as a US Marine and one tour in Afghanistan as a member of the Maryland Army National Guard (MDARNG)

Asked why he served in the Iraq War after protesting it, Platner said, "I thought I could do some good. And I wanted to play soldier. I might have read too much [Ernest] Hemingway."

The group Patriotic Millionaires is endorsing Graham Platner.

The Maine Democratic Party primary takes place on Monday 9 June 2026.