In his March 10 essay in the Cook Political Report, Charlie Cook, founder of the Report, said “Maine Democrats face a fateful decision in their June 9 Senate primary” and “This is the big leagues — no place for beginners.” He is absolutely correct.
Graham Platner, although energetic and enthusiastic, has no experience dealing with the steamroller of Republican money that will face the Democratic nominee for Susan Collins’ seat in the Senate. The airways will be filled with photos of tattoos and quotes from past postings on Reddit and other social media.
Gov. Janet Mills can run on her record of fully funding education, making community colleges tuition free, expanding MaineCare to cover 100,000 Mainers, supporting women’s reproductive rights and fighting the opioid overdose epidemic. She has never backed down from a fight over her principles, just ask Paul LePage or Donald Trump, and is a veteran of political debates.
Cook asks “Can Democrats afford to take a risk on a first-time candidate with a very problematic background and questionable judgment?” My answer is “no.”
Janet Mills has the best chance of defeating Susan Collins in November. I fully support her in the Democratic senatorial primary and I urge everyone to do so also.
Jay Naliboff, MD
Chesterville
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