Podcast Summary: The New Yorker Radio Hour
Episode: Graham Platner Is Staying in the Race
Original Air Date: December 19, 2025
Host: David Remnick
Overview
This episode features host David Remnick’s in-depth conversation with Graham Platner—a Marine and Army veteran, oyster farmer, and Democratic candidate challenging incumbent Senator Susan Collins in Maine. The discussion explores Platner's path to politics, his controversial online history, his outsider approach to the Democratic Party, his policies, critique of U.S. military intervention, and the lived experience shaping his populist-progressive views. The episode also briefly includes a segment with longtime New Yorker writer Calvin Tompkins reflecting on longevity and creativity at age 100.
Key Discussion Points and Insights
1. Platner’s Unconventional Path to Senate Candidacy
2. Addressing Past Controversial Comments
- Context and Accountability ([09:45–15:50])
- Remnick addresses Platner's surfacing online comments (homophobic slurs, controversial sexual assault remarks, "bastards" for police, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol).
- Platner's framing:
"If someone over the course of their time on the Internet uses slurs or stupid language and then ceases to do so. Probably a sign of growth. Probably a sign of how many of us change over time." ([11:19])
- He connects this to a generational issue, suggesting if all "elder Millennials" were scrutinized for every past comment, “we’ll never get around to the policy part.” ([11:06])
- Platner emphasizes that growth and change should be possible in public life:
“If we can’t give people the ability to grow as human beings, then we’re all just stuck.” ([14:01])
- He says it’s “personally unenjoyable” to discuss, but:
“It also allows me to publicly model something I think is really important, which is that a lot of us go through transitions in life. ... You should be able to be proud of the fact that you can turn into a different kind of person.” ([14:39])
3. The Democratic Party: Critique and Vision
- Platner’s Critique ([18:53–23:43])
- Platner lays into both major parties’ corporate ties, but reserves special disappointment for Democrats:
“There is an innate contradiction in trying to be a party that represents working people ... and also trying to represent the interests of those that exploit them.” ([20:26])
- He argues the party lost its way in the Clinton era, doubling down in the Obama years on Wall Street priorities rather than labor ([21:29–22:29]).
- Regarding West Virginia’s Manchin-style politics, Platner is skeptical: "I think you can win someone in West Virginia if you run on working class populism." ([23:14])
- Relations with Party Establishment
- Sharply notes his lack of contact with Senate leadership:
“Not a single phone call, not a single email from the national party organization.” ([24:10])
- Contrasts this with Janet Mills, the centrist governor running against him, who was quickly embraced by the D.C. establishment ([24:18–24:37]).
4. Ground Game, Populism, and Grassroots Organizing in Maine
- Campaigning Approach ([25:01–26:35])
- Emphasizes face-to-face organizing: "We've held 35 town halls ... 12,000 volunteers. ... This is about rebuilding organization in communities."
- His message resonates with widespread voter discontent toward establishment politicians.
5. Policy Priorities
6. Foreign Policy, Military Experience, and War Powers
-
Critique of Current Military Actions ([28:12–30:13])
- Cites Venezuela operations as a "rehash of Iraq ... but even dumber."
- Says U.S. military power is abused for political gain, not strategic necessity.
-
On Military Service ([30:13–32:34])
- Describes his combat experience as a machine gunner in Ramadi, Iraq: "I saw more combat than most, less than some."
- Skeptical of current Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's posturing: "You definitely get the feeling this is someone who is trying to make up for something... didn’t stay in."
-
Legislative Priorities for Veterans ([32:34–33:54])
- Main policy: Reining in the president's war powers, returning congressional control as per the Constitution.
7. Populist Critique of the System and the Political Era
8. Personal Experience with Economic Hardship
- On the System’s Failures ([40:15–45:23])
- Platner credits the VA and his veteran status for affording him health care, which allowed him to build a life as a small business owner ([42:02–43:56]).
- He contrasts that with the lack of options for most working people, noting the "immense amount of freedom" health care provided him.
- Tells stories of friends whose rents consume 60% of their income, with nowhere to turn; ties this suffering to increasing wealth at the top:
"I refuse to believe that I've watched people in my community watch their material conditions deteriorate at the exact same time that we watched Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk exist. I refuse to believe that these two things are not connected." ([45:10])
Notable Quotes
Memorable Moments
Timestamps for Important Segments
- Recruitment to Senate run: [00:10–03:55]
- Military history & worldview: [06:47–09:45]
- Handling past controversial comments: [09:45–15:50]
- Critique of Democratic Party: [19:50–23:43]
- Outsider status vs. establishment: [23:43–24:37]
- Policy priorities: [26:43–27:38]
- On war powers & foreign policy: [28:12–33:54]
- Systemic critique & Trumpism: [35:02–39:16]
- Personal economic experience: [40:15–45:23]
Brief: Calvin Tompkins Segment ([47:48–52:45])
David Remnick and Calvin Tompkins (aging New Yorker writer) reflect on aging, artistic curiosity, and the importance of living life fully and creatively even at 100. Tompkins shares his approach to writing and art criticism, always remaining curious and open to the new.
"I don't know what I'm doing. I never have known what I'm doing. ... You just have to keep trying, keep trying, keep pushing out the words."
—Calvin Tompkins ([51:14])
Conclusion
This episode captures the rise of a working-class, populist candidate navigating controversy, disillusionment with mainstream politics, and the promise of transformative change. Platner’s unpolished honesty, policy focus on working people, and scathing critique of the political status quo position him as both representative of a political inflection point and a test case for whether American politics is ready to embrace real change.
