The Find Out Podcast

Episode: Graham Platner Joins the Find Out Pod

Date: November 14, 2025

Overview

This episode features Graham Platner, Maine Senate candidate, on his unexpected entry into politics, his campaign’s explosive grassroots energy, and his vision for a working-class, movement-driven Democratic politics. With candid discussion—including an unfiltered look at controversial moments—Platner and the hosts dissect American politics, the failures of establishment Democrats, and the urgency for building real power from below during Trump’s second term. The tone is irreverent, frank, thoughtful, and often funny, with serious dives into structural issues and authentic self-reflection.

Main Topics & Key Insights

1. Graham Platner’s Path to the Senate Race

[00:39–04:36]

• Platner never aspired to run for Senate; focused on community organizing and harbor master work in Maine.
• On being approached by labor organizers:

  “My wife and I told them to get the hell out of our house because it was like the most insane thing. We don't make a lot of money, we don't have a lot of free time.” ([01:48], Platner)

• The deteriorating economic and social conditions in Maine—collapsing healthcare and education, unaffordable housing—pushed him to realize running was a necessary, if unwanted, sacrifice.

  “Sometimes, sometimes history just kind of puts you in a weird place and you either do what you can or you don't. And I'm just a firm believer in that when the time comes, you have to step up.” ([04:30], Platner)

2. Grassroots Surge and Working-Class Appeal

[05:00–07:23]

• The campaign’s launch shattered their fundraising and event attendance expectations.
• Town halls overflowed, e.g., 900 attendees in Ellsworth, 1,500 in Portland.
• Platner credits this unanticipated energy to pent-up demand for a working-people-centered, economically focused campaign.

  “To say it's like beyond our wildest dreams is an oversight. I can't even. It's like far beyond anything we could have comprehended.” ([06:06], Platner)

3. Crossing the Political Divide in Rural Maine

[07:43–11:54]

• Platner, from Maine’s conservative 2nd district, connects with friends and neighbors who are Trump supporters but share deep frustration with the system.
• He frames the political divide as “down here and up here,” not left vs. right.

  “Nobody says, yeah, everybody knows. Everybody knows in their bones that they're being screwed… when you talk about corporate interests, …there are plenty of conservative voters out there who also are angry at those folks…” ([08:41], Platner)

• Focuses on material issues: closed hospitals, unaffordable rent—problems that cut across party lines.

4. Healthcare, Power, and Strategy

[12:12–17:24]

• Platner discusses the inadequacy of the status quo and the necessity of universal health care.
• Skeptical about bipartisan compromise, he insists on building and wielding power to achieve Medicare for All.

  “I'll be entirely honest. I'm not sure that we're going to convince Republicans. I think in some ways we have to beat them.” ([13:13], Platner)

• Democratic failures to exercise willpower or leverage majorities are critiqued as paving the way for Trumpism.

5. Economic Populism and Cultural Progress

[17:24–23:30]

• The hosts and Platner trace how middle class economic strength underpinned past progressive victories, and how economic decline allowed regressive scapegoating.
• Platner insists progressive cultural gains shouldn’t be abandoned, but economic issues must lead the conversation.

  “You don't have to do that. [Sell out marginalized people to win]. … But what you need to be talking about are the economic factors… conditions that people are living in.” ([21:37], Platner)

6. Taking on Susan Collins and Establishment Politics

[23:30–29:43]

• Collins’ reputation as a “moderate” is dissected—Platner details her conservative voting record and culpability in overturning Roe v. Wade.
• Platner sees opportunity to capture both disillusioned Democrats and anti-establishment Republicans.

  “I know a lot of Republicans that hate her… They see that as much the enemy of their version of conservatism as they think Democrats are.” ([25:39], Platner)

• Warns against the Democratic Party defaulting to establishment “next in line” candidates, risking another Collins victory.

7. Building the Progressive Bench

[29:43–35:28]

• Platner shares how mentorship and movement-building are central to his campaign; contrasts with the Democratic establishment’s lack of succession planning.
• Bernie Sanders is cited as the rare intentional “bench builder.”
• Platner’s campaign aims to train organizers and electoral candidates at every level, echoing successful right-wing local strategies.

8. Historical Context & Movement Politics

[35:28–39:52]

• Argues the only real path for change is reviving old-style, movement-driven organizing, as in the labor and civil rights movements.

  “Power is merely available for those who are willing to organize and to take it.” ([38:53], Platner)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Campaign Reluctance:

  “[Running] is the furthest thing from anything I've ever spent time thinking about.” ([00:53], Platner)

• Describing the system:

  “Everybody knows in their bones that they're being screwed… it isn’t left and right. It's from down here and up here.” ([09:02], Platner)

• On power:

  “It was not about finding a bunch of compromises with the people that hated him. It was about wielding power.” ([15:33], Platner, referencing FDR)

• On inclusivity & radical tradition:

  “You cannot build… working people's politics without having it being inviting to everyone. It needs to be anti racist, it needs to be against anti Semitism, it needs to be against Islamophobia.” ([54:00], Platner)

Addressing Controversy: The Tattoo Incident

[41:01–55:14]

• Platner openly addresses the revelation that a tattoo he got as a Marine—a skull and crossbones—resembled Nazi iconography.
• Asserts he was unaware of the connection, never kept the tattoo a secret, and immediately covered it up when made aware.

  “If I thought that it was something that was widely recognized… I would not have just gone through life with my shirt off in front of my family, in front of my friends…” ([42:16], Platner)

• Hosts press further, especially on his antifascist organizing background. Platner insists his context was always military and not white supremacist.
• Platner lays out his lifelong, personal and political opposition to fascism and anti-Semitism, and describes outreach to Maine’s Jewish community after the controversy.

Policy Differences with Janet Mills

[57:51–61:17]

• Platner’s key distinctions:
  • Full commitment to Medicare for All and structural health reform, vs. vague/state-level approaches.
  • Pro-labor stance and stronger support for union power, in contrast to Mills’ vetoes of labor-friendly bills.
  • Strong support for tribal sovereignty for Maine’s indigenous nations, which Mills has opposed.
  • General critique of establishment “next in line” careerism over movement-building.

Memorable "Maine" Lightning Round

[62:08–65:17]

• Platner prefers lobster rolls “butter and a little bit of dill,” but asserts, “we have no respect for [the Connecticut way].” Opts for “cold, with mayo, lightly tossed.” ([62:13], Platner)
• Declares Moxie “fundamentally the best soda in the history of humanity.” ([62:57], Platner)
• On shipbuilding in Bath, ME:

  “Bath built [is best built].” ([64:08], Platner)

• Hilarious moment: forced to sing Maine’s 16 counties song in Marine bootcamp, often hazed for mistakes. ([64:45], Platner)

Notable Timestamps

• 00:53: Platner on his unlikely entry into politics
• 05:00: Surprising grassroots success after campaign launch
• 08:09: On winning over rural conservative Trump voters
• 13:13: Strategy on healthcare and beating, not just convincing, the GOP
• 24:36: How to expose Susan Collins as hard-right, not moderate
• 41:01: Detailed discussion of the tattoo controversy
• 54:00: On anti-Semitism, Gaza, and including marginalized groups
• 57:51: Clear policy contrasts with Janet Mills
• 62:08: Maine cultural lightning round (lobster rolls, Moxie, local pride)

Concluding Thoughts

This episode powerfully showcases Graham Platner’s authenticity, organizing roots, and willingness to address both big issues and personal controversies with candor. The conversation is both hopeful and clear-eyed about the challenges ahead, offering a sharp critique of status-quo politics and a roadmap for progressive organizing in Trump’s America.

“I think it's going to succeed because it needs to succeed. ... the center cannot hold. … I'm not talking about a new kind of politics in the United States. I'm talking about an old kind of politics.” ([35:28], Platner)

End of Summary.