Ben Pearson of Durham is retired after working for 30 years for L.L.Bean in sporting goods product development. He is the author of  “The Rangeleys — A Photographic Journey Through an Iconic Region of Maine.”

I’ll start with the disclaimer that, in the big picture, Janet Mills, Graham Platner and I are on the same team and we share the all-important goal of defeating Susan Collins and flipping the Senate. If you share that goal, you should be voting for the highest odds of making this a reality —  period.

And yes I have seen the current polls, but I am looking ahead to when it really counts, a week before the general election after 200 million Republican dollars have been spent against the Democrats’ nominee to shape the female, independent and swing vote.

Here is how I look at the situation.

We have a candidate with a robust resume of accomplishments,  who is fully vetted, has won statewide elections twice and has delivered big time for the people and the environment of Maine these last eight years. Odds of her being derailed near zero.

We also have a charismatic but unproven, unvetted candidate with some known serious baggage who was launched out of nowhere to the forefront by an NYC progressive marketing team who found him last summer. Odds of him being derailed this time around? No one knows, but I’m putting it at north of 50%.

I believe what we already know about Platner’s posts and statements, when amped up by the $200 million right-wing spin machine, will be damning enough on their own to derail him with the election deciding female ,independent and swing voters. But significantly adding to this concern is what we don’t know — yet. 

With Platner’s admitted history of dark phases and drunken mistakes, thinking the Reddit posts are the end of the story is naive. I have no doubt that the Republican opposition researchers, besides other avenues, have been given full access to all the guys he served with. They will be digging for stories and dirt from these people; no doubt more than a few were not Graham’s fans.

I suspect they will find things they can make look truly awful. Platner is betting that Democrats and independents will respond the same as MAGA voters and all look the other way. I’m not! I believe taking a chance on a candidate with significant odds of being disqualified by his past actions with these crucial voters is being reckless with our best opportunity to depose Susan Collins. And a progressive surge will not come close to carrying the day over the independent and swing vote.

My second concern is that United States senator is not an entry-level job. While I respect what Platner has done in his life to date, he has what most hiring professionals would say is an entry- level resume. Susan Collins and her team will have a legitimate field day with this as she trots out her experience and all the things she has done for Maine. Only Janet can go toe-to-toe with Collins with on-the-ground results for Maine people in every county in our state.

With Janet Mills, we know what she stands for. We know she will be fighting for all the people of Maine as she always has. We know she is an energetic, feisty, tough as nails fighter who has repeatedly prevailed over the right wing. Significantly, she has proven she can get big things done in a divided electorate. 

Admittedly she is not loud, but shouting forcefully that we need universal health care does not make it happen. Just ask Bernie Sanders (FYI, age 84 for those saying Janet, six years his junior, is too old). He has been “shouting” this for 30 years …. and counting.

Crucially important, Janet Mills will not get derailed with the independent, swing and all- important female vote by her past actions and comments, a distinct possibility with Platner that would tragically squander our best chance to depose Susan Collins.