Where Does Maine Go Post-Platner?

Summary

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Podcast Summary: “Where Does Maine Go Post-Platner?”

What A Day, July 15, 2026
Host: Jane Coaston
Guest: Rebecca Traister (New York Magazine writer at large & Maine resident)

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Overview

This episode tackles the fallout from Graham Platner’s withdrawal from the Maine Senate race after allegations of sexual assault, exploring where his former supporters—especially women—might go next. Host Jane Coaston and journalist Rebecca Traister dig into the gender dynamics, Maine’s particular political culture, and the challenges and hopes for Democrats aiming to unseat Senator Susan Collins.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Political Context in Maine

• Platner’s Withdrawal:
  Maine Democrats must pick a new Senate candidate fast, as Platner dropped out following credible assault allegations. Seven Democrats are already vying for the spot. (13:30–16:53)
• Challenging Susan Collins:
  The overriding Democratic goal is to defeat incumbent GOP Senator Collins, but Platner’s implosion has left a bruised field. (18:04–20:26)

Why Did Women Support Platner?

• Early Excitement Across Demographics:
  Rebecca Traister recounts initial enthusiasm among women, noting Platner’s progressive pitch, even in conservative rural areas—speaking about trans rights and immigrant protections. (06:36–10:14)

  “All these women I knew who had felt great about that suddenly were like, am I supposed to not be excited about this person?”
  — Rebecca Traister [09:31]

• Contrast with National Narrative:
  National media saw Platner as a sort of “masculine left” phenomenon, out of step with Maine reality. Women didn’t see him as a “cosplayer of the American working class”—that’s just what people in Maine look like. (10:56–13:41)

  “That look and also his class position is not particularly mysterious in Maine in the way that it is in the national conversation. … He was received really, because of his ideas and how he made his audiences feel.”
  — Rebecca Traister [11:33]

Gender, Race, and Political Double Standards

• White Patriarchy’s Role:
  Traister reflects on how Platner’s “inspiring” style succeeded where female Democrats get dismissed as “professorial” or “hectoring.” (00:00; 13:41)

  “White patriarchy and white masculinity does a lot of work, which I acknowledge in this piece. Right. That his voice can carry in a way that Elizabeth Warren’s can’t. That he can get heard as inspiring and populist, whereas a Warren or a Stacey Abrams or a Hillary Clinton will be heard as professorial, hectoring, has an annoying laugh.”
  — Rebecca Traister [00:00]

The Impact of the Allegations & Aftermath

• Complicated Emotions for Supporters:
  Once negative headlines emerged—including Reddit posts and tattoos—women supporters felt conflicted and “argued, trying to change each other’s minds.” (10:14–13:41)
• Civic Excitement Over Convention:
  Despite worries the “establishment” forced Platner out, Traister notes “enormous civic excitement” about the upcoming Democratic nominating convention, not bitterness. (16:53–18:04)

  “It feels right now not as bad as I thought it would. … There’s an enormous amount of civic excitement about we’re going to have a state convention, there are going to be delegates.”
  — Rebecca Traister [16:53]

Where Does the Movement Go Now?

• Is There Another “Platner”?
  No replacement offers Platner’s unique blend, but that may be a good thing, given “how dangerous and bad” he proved. (16:53–18:04)

• Hope for the Future:
  Traister and Coaston agree the desire for change—particularly among women—is strong. The search continues for a candidate to channel both “anger and hope.” (14:00; 18:04–20:26)

  “People want to feel that hope that there’s a future and an imaginative future that’s not just a grim rebuilding of the broken and corroded systems...”
  — Rebecca Traister [19:43]

• The “Democratic Tea Party” Moment:
  Coaston likens the Platner phenomenon to a liberal, grassroots “Tea Party” surge of anti-establishment energy. (14:00–16:53)

  “People are furious. And you and I both know this—women, liberal women, are pissed. … Platner, it sounds like, what he was able to have is that simultaneous anger, but also hope in something better.”
  — Jane Coaston [16:17]

Media & Predictive Politics

• Against Determinism:
  Traister warns against allowing polling and predictive models to stifle voter engagement or hope for “imaginative” change. (18:21–20:26)

  “So much in political journalism is understood now to be predictive rather than descriptive. And I think that’s created real problems politically and stoked some of the frustration.”
  — Rebecca Traister [18:37]

• Maine’s Unique Political Culture:
  The “oysterman who also went to a prep school” is a familiar—not exotic—figure locally, highlighting the gap between national media framing and regional reality. (11:33–13:41)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Gendered Double Standards in Politics:

  “There are just differences in how we receive America’s original citizen, the white man. That’s entirely tied up with gender and race.”
  — Rebecca Traister [13:24]

• On Losing Platner as a Candidate:

  “That’s good because exactly like him turned out to be very dangerous and bad.”
  — Rebecca Traister [17:48]

• On Hope After Political Crisis:

  “Part of the ideal version of American democracy is that we can try new things … that we can look to other periods in history where…politicians and leaders…have reinvented systems, have reimagined how to create rights, protections, policies that would create a juster world.”
  — Rebecca Traister [19:00]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Opening remarks on masculinity, national defense, and testosterone policy: 00:00–03:15
• Washington political updates (Trump DOJ, Iran, CDC travel, gold coin story): 03:15–06:10
• Introducing Platner’s withdrawal & Maine’s political situation: 06:10–06:36
• Traister on Platner’s early appeal and women’s support: 06:36–10:14
• Media narratives, gender, race, and local political culture: 10:14–13:41
• Addressing double standards and Platner’s conduct: 13:41–14:00
• Where do Maine’s voters and women go from here?: 16:53–18:04
• Can Democrats still beat Susan Collins?: 18:04–20:26

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Episode Takeaways

• Platner’s rise and fall reveal deep disconnects between national vs. local narratives, and expose ongoing gender double standards in American politics.
• Women’s early support was less about Platner’s style than about policy, hope, and the desire to break with stale party leadership.
• While Platner’s behavior ended his candidacy, civic engagement remains strong—and the search for a candidate who can channel both anger and hope, especially among women, continues.
• There is local optimism, if not confidence, that Democrats can regroup and offer a credible challenge to Susan Collins, even in these unsettled circumstances.

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Transcript

[Rebecca Traister]

White patriarchy and white masculinity does a lot of work, which I acknowledge in this piece. Right. That his voice can carry in a way that Elizabeth Warren's can't. That he can get heard as inspiring and populist, whereas a Warren or a Stacey Abrams or a Hillary Clinton will be heard as professorial. Hectoring has an annoying laugh. You know, there are just differences in how we receive America's original citizen, the white Bantu.

[Jane Costen]

I'm Jane Coston, and this is what a day. The show fascinated by Secretary of Defense little boy Pete Hegseth's exciting new policy. He announced on Twitter today testosterone replacement therapy for troops over 30.

[Deputy Attorney General (unnamed)]

Those under 30 can voluntarily choose to get the test as well if treatment is recommended. It's entirely your choice to receive testosterone replacement therapy.

[Jane Costen]

You might be wondering, Jane, aren't testosterone levels lowest in men in committed relationships and men who are actively parenting? And don't some scientists think that's a biological effort to encourage men to stay in those relationships? It seems to me like the issue in this administration right now is perhaps too much testosterone. On today's show, we talk about Maine Graham Platner and where women who supported him go next with New York Magazine's Rebecca Traister. Before we get into all that, here's what we're following today. Wednesday, July 15th.

[Interviewer or Senator questioning Deputy Attorney General]

Are you and President Trump friends?

[Deputy Attorney General (unnamed)]

I'm his lawyer. Was his lawyer. And now I'm the deputy attorney general.

[E. Jean Carroll]

Do you believe it is the president's right and duty to order the investigation or prosecution of his perceived enemies? Yes or no?

[Deputy Attorney General (unnamed)]

I can't answer that. Yes or no? That wasn't the question. And my answer was that as the aspect as the president of the United states under Article 2, he's in charge of the Department of Justice. And so my answer reflects that idea, not that he has a right to go after his political enemies.

[Jane Costen]

Do you think that blanket pardoned by the president of January 6th rioters was the right thing to do?

[Deputy Attorney General (unnamed)]

I think that this, the Constitution, gives the president the full power to pardon anybody for any reason he wants. And so I don't question President Trump's authority or his decision to do so. On

[Jane Costen]

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had a lot to answer to during his Senate confirmation hearing today. Blanche confronted skepticism from lawmakers about his handling of the Epstein files, the slush fund to compensate allies of President Donald Trump, and a tax immunity deal for the president. Blanche has been head of the DoJ on an interim basis since April, accelerating investigations into Trump's perceived enemies. He's trying to do what former Attorney General Pam Bondi, it was dismissed, couldn't. And critics are raising alarm bells that Blanche is still functioning as the president's personal lawyer. But let's be real. When you're leading the Trump doj, is there really a difference? Are you ruling out a ground campaign in a limited capacity?

[Interviewer or Senator questioning Deputy Attorney General]

I don't want to say that either, but I would say no if I thought it was appropriate. I'd say sometimes you need a ground campaign, but we have other people that will do the ground campaign for us.

[Jane Costen]

After relaunching his war on Iran over the weekend, President Trump told Fox News chief foreign correspondent Trey Yankst Tuesday that a ground assault on Iran could be on the table. During the interview, he added that the US Will bomb Iran until, quote, I say it's enough. Trump said the US Will be targeting power plants and bridges next week unless Iran agrees to negotiate. If that sounds somewhat familiar, that's because Trump said almost the exact same things back in April. Remember when he threatened to go after power plants and bridges and said, quote, a whole civilization will die if Iran didn't negotiate. Well, here we are again. Meanwhile, the US Launched new strikes on Iran today following Iranian drone strikes on storage facilities in Kuwait and missile attacks in Bahrain. According to Iranian state media, seven members of the Iranian army were killed by US Missile strikes on military facilities in the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says American citizens leaving the Democratic Republic of the Congo now have to spend 21 days in another country before returning to the U.S. the travel restriction comes as eastern Congo faces the fastest growing Ebola outbreak in history. Earlier this month, researchers began a study of two possible treatments. But new challenges are continuing to emerge. Some health center workers at the heart of the outbreak went on strike this week over unpaid salaries. Meanwhile, the region is already suffering from bare bones infrastructure, rebel threats and misinformation asserting that the deadly virus isn't real. The World Health Organization said Tuesday that 80% of new cases are emerging from unknown chains of transmission. Treasury Secretary Scott Besant announced today that the US Mint will soon produce $1 gold coins with Trump's face on them. Great. Just in time for my birthday. In a tweet, Besant said the coin would commemorate America's 250th, writing, quote, it celebrates the strength of American values and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all. Okay, but how is Trump involved in all of that? A Treasury Department spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal the coin will be available this fall. She added that the coin won't contain any real gold. It will just have a gold like finish, just how Trump likes it. And that's the news. Let's talk about Maine. It's been less than a week since Graham Platner officially withdrew from the Maine Senate race after a serious allegation of sexual assault. Maine Democrats are planning a nominating convention two days before the deadline to select another candidate. And at least seven Democrats have already thrown their hats into the ring. But Maine voters who believed in Platner are left without the fresh, inspiring candidate they supported. Rebecca Traister is a writer at large for New York magazine and a Maine resident. While nationally, some on the left claimed that Platner's existence was an embrace of masculinity and a rejection of, quote, damn HR lady politics, she found that Mainers, specifically women, had a far different view. We spoke to her about where those voters go next. Rebecca, welcome to what a day.

[Rebecca Traister]

Thank you so much for having me on.

[Jane Costen]

So in your piece, and anecdotally, one of the things that's been striking me is just how many women supported Graham Platner even near the end of his campaign. You live in Maine and you wrote that you supported him at one point. And you also wrote about the complicated relationship voters, specifically women, had with Platner as a candidate. What were those initial exciting conversations like that you had with women who were

[Rebecca Traister]

supportive of Platner early on, before there were bad headlines about him in the early fall? He got in in August and September before there was any other serious competition. Janet Mills hadn't gotten in yet. And I saw his first ad. I was like, sure, great. I might like him, but he's not like the perfect match for me. And it was really in September when he was doing rallies in Portland, which is where I live, but I was traveling for work and my friends, my girlfriends, my professional friends here, parents at drop off, and many of them women and men, were like, have you seen Graham? Have you seen Graham? And I was like, no, I don't need to see Graham. It's fine. I got it with the kettlebells. I got it. I bet I like his politics. I might even vote for him, but he's not gonna be my thing. And then in early October, I was assigned a piece for New York magazine about the gerontocracy in which that was not just about Maine races all over the country at that point. Janet Mills had gotten in or was about to. And here was this woman who was gonna be a 78 year old, the oldest freshman senator if she won versus this out of nowhere young oysterman. And because I was reporting that story, I went to a town hall in the very rural, very conservative hometown that my mother's family comes from for generations. It's a place I know very well. It's very different from southern Maine. But that was the first time I saw him. I sort of expected him for that audience to be pandering and doing so much of the, like, masculine left, Bernie Bro thing. And I can't tell you how much this community is not Bernie Bros. But I was very startled to hear him in that context talk about protecting trans kids, protecting immigrants. Asked who his political hero was, he said, Francis Perkins. This was not like economic populism. Bernie Bro, dirtbag, left. We don't care about identity politics. And I watched people in this community kind of light up. And that was the first sort of moment that I thought, oh, this. There's something really exciting about this candidacy. But all of that was before the bad Reddit headlines. Once the Reddit stuff, the tattoo stuff, the sort of endless headlines and oppo that was dropped, things became much more complicated. And so, so many of the women who had just been sort of unequivocally and unapologetically excited about this candidate, who was talking about a progressive and exciting vision of a more equitable future, of making bigger changes than he felt his party has wanted to make in the recent past, talking about history. All these women I knew who had felt great about that suddenly were like, am I supposed to not be excited about this person? And so that was the beginning of what would be iteration after iteration after iteration of really intense conversation. People were arguing. They were, you know, trying to change each other's minds. And in the midst of this, he kept being the candidate. He wasn't knocked out. And the backdrop to that is that the national conversation was so surprised by that and kept having an entirely different conversation than what was happening in Maine.

[Jane Costen]

Can you get into that a little bit more? Because you have a candidate who, to your point, was not running a dirtbag left campaign. He was talking about trans kids. And he also was giving credit to women who had come before him who didn't get credit. You note in your piece about this race that when a progressive candidate ran in 2020, Platner was talking about how she was treated and called a witch. And that now Platner could come in in 2026 and say the same things that you're talking about. And people were like, this is great. We love it. You know, did his support come from the fact that he was talking like this while looking like that kind of dude.

[Rebecca Traister]

Well, one thing that's really important to note about how he looked, which I think has been fetishized in the national media, where there's this story that these operatives came into Maine and unearthed this man who looked like Graham Platner because he was a cosplayer of the American working class. That's such an amazing part of how this story is told, and it is absolutely worth doing the reporting and the critical reporting on how he was found, embedd and all of that. But his look is only exotic to a national audience.

[Jane Costen]

Yeah. No, my impression is that that's just kind of what men in Maine look like.

[Rebecca Traister]

My husband and I had a joke for the past 10 months where we'd walk past, we'd be like, graham Guy. Graham Guy. Okay. So that look and also his class position is not particularly mysterious in Maine in the way that it is in the national conversation. White patriarchy and white masculinity does a lot of work, which I. In this piece. Right. That his voice can carry in a way that Elizabeth Warren's can't. That he can get heard as inspiring and populist, whereas a Warren or a Stacey Abrams or a Hillary Clinton will be heard as professorial hectoring. Has an annoying laugh. You know, there are just differences in how we receive America's original citizen, the white band that's entirely tied up with gender and race. But the thing that's being fetishized on the. In the national conversation, which I think reveals a lot about how distant from an American working people, a lot of the people in charge of our institutions, media and political are in Maine, where you have an economy that's based in part on a very wealthy tourist population and a local working population. These kinds of combinations that Graham Plattner embodied, being an oyster man who also went to a prep school, they're not illegible here. It wasn't like people were like, ooh, an oysterman. That was just not how he was received here. He was received really, because of his ideas and how he made his audiences feel, and. And that is tied to his communicative talents. And again, I want to say so much of what I'm saying in this conversation is positive about Graham Platner. And I'm not pausing to say that this man was credibly accused of rape and any number of other things. And I feel like when I try to get to a serious conversation about what was appealing about this campaign, it can often get lost that he shouldn't be the candidate.

[Jane Costen]

Right.

[Rebecca Traister]

And that I'm horrified by that. But I do think it's important to look at what drew a record number of Democratic primary voters in Maine to cast their ballots for a candidate who is obviously very flawed in all these ways and had this bad history.

[Jane Costen]

We'll get back to my conversation with Rebecca Treaster in a moment to talk about where Maine voters and women in Maine go from here. But if you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five star review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads what a Day is brought to you by Nutrafol Summer is full of vacations, weekend getaways and spending more time outdoors. And when you're packing for a trip, the last thing you want to be worrying about is your hair. Nutrafol is the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand and it's the number one hair growth supplement brand personally used by dermatologists. Nutrafol's hair growth supplements are peer reviewed, NSF certified for sport and clinically tested. Let your hair be one less thing to worry about. See visibly thicker, stronger, faster Growing hair in three to six months with Nutrafol For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you visit nutrafol.com and enter promo code DAYTEN. That's nutrafol.com spelled N u T R-A F o L.com promo code DAYTEN what a day is brought to you by Smalls. Smalls Fresh Cat Food is protein packed recipes made with preservative free 100% human grade ingredients you'd find in your fridge and it's delivered right to your door. Smalls works because their fresh, gently cooked food is made without preservatives. A balanced diet leads to less shedding, fewer hairballs and more silky shine. Smalls cat food leads to high protein and improved hydration that equals strong bones and toned muscles. Cats use protein as their main energy source. More protein means more fuel and sustained energy. After switching to smalls, 88% of cat owners reported overall health improvements. And if you're spooked by commitment, you can try Smalls Risk Free. They'll refund you if your cat won't eat their food, so stop serving your little carnivore a bowl of processed shortcuts for a limited time because you're a what a day listener. Get 60% off your first order plus free shipping and free treats for life when you head to smalls.com wade that's 60% off your first order, plus free shipping and free treats for life when you head to smalls.com wa let's get back to my conversation with Rebecca Traister. Graham, to me, was part of what I'd call a Democratic Tea Party of sorts. People are furious. The Democratic establishment. You've already seen Chuck Schumer say, like, I'm staying out of Maine. I do not want to get involved in that. And people want a way to express that especially. And you and I both know this, women, liberal women, are pissed. And I think Platner, to your point, it sounds like what he was able to have is that simultaneous anger, but also hope in something better. Where does Platner's failure, given what he is credibly accused to have done, where does that leave us and that movement in Maine and across the country?

[Rebecca Traister]

So I think there are two different answers to that in Maine. I am surprised to be able to report that it feels right now not as bad as I thought it would. People held on with this guy for a really long time, and I worried that there would be such anger at the perception that the establishment finally got him right. Anecdotally, that's not the feeling I have. There's an enormous amount of sort of civic excitement about we're going to have a state convention, There are going to be delegates, we're going to vote on the delegates. There's some grumbling about we're not going to have an, you know, we're not going to be able to choose our candidate. But actually, that's pretty minimal. Now, is there another candidate who checks the boxes that Graham Platner checked? No, there's nobody who's exactly like him. But that's good because exactly like him turned out to be very dangerous and bad. But it's always, it's always been a hard seat to win. So I'm really curious more than anything else to see how this very scary, very perilous, but also very different circumstance where it leads us.

[Jane Costen]

So the most important thing that Graham Platner was supposed to do as the main Democratic Senate candidate is beat Susan Collins. That's it. That's why we're all here, metaphorically. Do you think there's still a chance to find a candidate who can beat Susan Collins?

[Rebecca Traister]

Yes, I still think there's a chance, but I always think there's a chance. Mainers have been working to defeat Susan Collins for a long time. I was optimistic about COLLINS Losing in 2020 and she didn't. So I don't think there's anybody who can say with any assurance. This also gets back to one of my hobby horses, which is so much in political journalism is understood now to be predictive rather than descriptive. And I think that's created real problems politically and stoked some of the frustration that voters, liberal women have with just wanting to participate in a process without somebody telling us, like with a needle and a percentage point in polls, whether it's gonna work or not. You know, part of the ideal version of American democracy is that we can try new things, which I should say is one of the things that Platner talked about and that I think people found exciting that we don't have to just do things the way our party has done them for the past 40 years, that we can look to other periods in history where they're coming out of periods that were this terrifying, grim and oppressive, that there have been other equivalent moments in which politicians and leaders, spurred in many cases by grassroots organizing, have sort of reinvented systems, have reimagined how to create rights protections, policies that would create a juster world. People want to feel that hope that there's a future and an imaginative future that's not just sort of a grim rebuilding of the broken and corroded systems that have been attacked so vociferously over the past decades. So I always want to feel like anything's possible. And I believe that again, there is a chance that Maine voters may defy every grim expectation that now we can't win this seat and be able to do it.

[Jane Costen]

Rebecca, thank you so much for joining me.

[Rebecca Traister]

Thank you so much for having me.

[Jane Costen]

That was my conversation with Rebecca Traister, writer at large for New York Magazine. Before we go at Crooked, we believe the answer to right wing authoritarianism is a big, welcoming, fun pro democracy movement. So join us at CrookedCon on November 5 through 7 in D.C. just after the midterms. We think you'll want to meet all of the like minded folks and see if we can get a functional winning party out of the deal. Join us for panels across bigger stages, candidate forums, live shows and interviews, organizing events, and fun social stuff too. Sounds just crazy enough to work. Go to crookedcon.com for more details and to grab your tickets. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, Leave a review. Enjoy E. Jean Carroll reading Donald Trump for Filth and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading. And not just about how, after Carroll finally got paid by Trump, nearly $6 million for defamation yesterday, this clip from October went viral.

[E. Jean Carroll]

I don't understand how people can be afraid of a fat elderly man who wears apricot makeup, his hair done up like Tippi Hedren in the Birds, and sits in a courtroom and moans and

[Jane Costen]

groans and complains like me. Water Day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and [e-mail] subscribe I'm Jane Costen, and look, she's not wrong. What a Day is a production of Crooked Media. Our show is produced by Kaitlyn Plummer, Emily Foer, Erica Morrison and Adrienne Hill. Our team includes Haley Jones, Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Joseph Dutra, Johanna Case and Desmond Taylor. Our music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jordan Kanter. We have help today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America.

[Rebecca Traister]

East.

[David Boris]

Since the dawn of time, humanity has been at war. It has shaped the world around us, and if it somehow feels like we've been here before, it's because we have. I'm David Boris. I'm a military historian, and on my new podcast, Hostile History, I take us inside history's most defining wars and rebellions, from Genghis Khan to the war in Iran. Find out how the past can explain the present. Search for and follow Hostile History on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you find your favorite podcasts.