I’m exhausted by the Platner Press Herald | Opinion

[](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) _[Read all of our coverage](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/) of Maine's 2026 election or stay up to date with the latest developments through the [Maine Political Report](https://www.pressherald.com/mprnewsletter/) in your inbox or [text messages](https://www.pressherald.com/2026/01/11/maine-political-news-sent-right-to-your-phone-sign-up-for-text-alerts-from-our-editor/) from politics editor Kirby Wilson._ **Chris Burns** _is a small business owner and audio engineer living in Bowdoin._ Almost every day since last October, the Portland Press Herald has had either an article, a headline, an opinion piece and/or a letter to the editor about Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner’s past behavior and alleged fitness for office.  It is almost like PPH now stands for the Platner Press Herald. Readers rarely get a glimpse into the much more recent and disturbing behaviors of currently serving Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who is seemingly given the deference of a long-serving magistrate who is too genteel and polite to have ever engaged bigotry, hate and division for political gain. The one-sided aspect of local news coverage seems to purposely elide some very recent appearances by and endorsements of Collins that could negatively alter her carefully crafted image of the “most bipartisan senator in Congress.”  Omitting equal coverage of these concerning contradictions to Collins’ PR-polished image should give all working-class voters of Maine pause to consider if local news outlets are really giving them the full story to make the best decision for Maine in November. Mainers should know that Susan Collins was seen at the state GOP convention in May [laughing and waving a sword](https://old.reddit.com/r/Maine/comments/1sv5vvt/susie_supports_xenophobic_politician/) used by Leonard Leo-funded Maine Wire writer Jon Fetherston to threaten families going to mosque in Lewiston.  Later, on Memorial Day, [she had her pic snapped smiling with her arms around the shoulders of armed](https://x.com/MajorityPAC/status/2059280514989576238) members of the Maine Militia, a white nationalist separatist group based in Belfast that advertises its hate for Blacks and Jews, and its desire to remove them from Maine. Advertisement In just the past 60 days, Collins has celebrated religious violence, white nationalism, armed separatists, racism antisemitism and terrorizing families, and has received the endorsement of almost 100 billionaires for her campaign, including Alex Karp of surveillance-state AI outfit Palantir, who [recently released a manifesto](https://www.businessinsider.com/palantir-manifesto-alex-karp-technological-republic-summary-2026-4?op=1) calling for reinstatement of military conscription, rejection of multiculturalism and U.S. commitment to an AI arms race. It could not be any clearer that Collins has made her sizable fortune while in office serving the interests of her rich masters by stoking division, violence, bigotry and hate between Mainers over serving the interests of the working people of Maine. There is ample evidence of her at these functions with these people doing many things she accuses Graham Platner of, and, though half the front-page articles in the past six months have been about Platner’s alleged fitness for office versus Collins’ contrived and manicured presentation, the newspaper remains silent on it. The Maine Trust for Local News, parent company of the Press Herald and two of the other major regional newspapers is Maine, does its readership a grave disservice by choosing to elide issues around Collins’ recent behavior and fitness for office while concentrating on salacious rumors, old Reddit posts and billionaire-funded hack jobs on Graham Platner.  Mainers deserve to know the full story of Susan Collins’ wealthy alliances and allegiances, her stoking of violent bigotry and her use of the same divisive tactics as her more outwardly MAGA colleagues, not just what her rich friends and donors pay for political ads and captured media to say.  Unfortunately, it is all too apparent that Mainers must look beyond what local news outlets are choosing to cover to get the full story to make a truly informed vote for who can best represent their interests in November. Copy the Story Link Tagged: [columns](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/columns/), [election 2026](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/election-2026/), [senate 2026](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/senate-2026/)