Democrats’ predicament with Graham Platner is one of the party’s own making

Graham Platner secured a primary victory on Tuesday, setting up a challenging general election for Democrats in Maine's closely-watched Senate race. The Democratic establishment's decision to back Governor Janet Mills early in the process, while sidelining Platner for several months, is now viewed as a strategic miscalculation that has boxed the party into a more precarious position. This outcome means the race will be a significant test of Democratic resilience leading up to November, with the potential for wide-ranging implications for the party regardless of the final result. The party's early endorsement of Mills, a septuagenarian governor, appears to have inadvertently strengthened Platner's position by creating a situation where he could emerge as the nominee after being sidelined.