Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) has taken the lead in polling in the Democratic primary. contender Graham Plattner in the Pine Tree State’s 2026 Senate race, according to a poll released Saturday.
SoCal Strategies Main Poll found Mills received 41 percent support from likely voters in the survey, while Plattner received 36 percent support. One-fifth of respondents were undecided.
These results come after the resurgence of the controversy that has been going on for several days regarding Plattner social media post And the revelation that he had a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol.
Before the news, survey results from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center showed Plattner leads Mills by 34 percentage points.
But when respondents to the SoCal Strategies poll were informed about Plattner’s tattoo resembling the Nazi “Totenkopf”, Mills’ lead increased significantly: 59 percent said they would support Mills in the primary, while 29 percent still said they would support Plattner.
Plattner has the endorsement of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who defended Maine oyster farmers amid controversy, while mills were supported By Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
“He went through a dark period in his life. I suspect Graham Platner is not the only American who has gone through a dark period,” Sanders said of Plattner’s past Reddit posts during an appearance on “The Axios Show” earlier this week.
“I think as a nation we don’t have to focus on tattoos,” he said. “We have to focus on a system that is collapsing in many ways.”
plattner Said On Tuesday he had the tattoo covered up and claimed he was not informed beforehand about its similarity to the Nazi symbol.
According to the survey, the Democratic candidate still maintained a wide lead over Mills with voters aged 18–29, with his advantage remaining relatively stable even after respondents were informed about his recent scandal.
The SoCal Strategies poll reached 500 likely Democratic primary voters in Maine from October 21-25.
