The Right’s “Election Fraud” Cry for Midterms Previewed in Primaries
From The Intercept Briefing by The Intercept
June 12, 2026 · 32 min · Season 3 · Episode 25
About this episode
The episode discusses Graham Platner's victory in the Democratic Senate primary in Maine and explores conspiracy theories about voter suppression in California.
On Tuesday night, oyster farmer and combat veteran Graham Platner overwhelmingly sailed to victory in the Democratic Senate primary in Maine. His opponent, Gov. Janet Mills unofficially dropped out in late April, leaving Platner effectively unopposed. But a series of scandals rocked his candidacy, leaving his viability against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November in question. The veteran has repeatedly emphasized the way his combat trauma made him a worse version of himself, and how in later years he has been able to heal and evolve. In Maine, Democrats so far appear to have accepted that message of redemption , and his promise to provide a progressive economic agenda for Maine. “It’s a very working-class state that has been very badly impacted by job loss and then, in recent years, by a pretty extreme wave of gentrification,” Intercept reporter Noah Hurowitz says. “The progressive policy agenda of Graham Platner combined with the perceived authenticity of his ‘I am a fighter, I will actually do this,’ whereas Janet Mills who has been in power and overseen a lot of this and has not been perceived to bring a lot of the changes that Mainers seek” is resonating with…
People in this episode
Guest: Graham Platner
Topics covered
- election fraud
- midterms
- voter suppression
- political commentary
- progressive agenda
Keywords
- Graham Platner
- Janet Mills
- Susan Collins
- voter suppression
- California
- Maine
- midterms
- election fraud
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: The Intercept
Places: Maine, California
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