Graham Platner has cleared the path to Maine's Senate seat after Governor Janet Mills dropped out of the Democratic primary, acknowledging she lacked the financial resources to continue. The insurgent candidate, who faced devastating opposition research including old Reddit posts and a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, now faces longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins in a race pivotal to Democratic Senate hopes.

Washington Democrats misjudged both Platner and the mood of primary voters radicalized by opposition to Trump. Supporters see him as a "brawler" who can counter Republican hardball tactics. Mike Hurley, former mayor of Belfast, told me many voters felt he understood them: "Platner is a very recognizable kind of person in small towns — a thoughtful loudmouth." Progressives view his campaign as a movement rather than just an election, with one supporter comparing his town halls to seeing Barack Obama in 2008.

The dynamics propelling his rise extend beyond Maine. Similar progressive candidates are gaining traction in New Jersey, Michigan and Wisconsin, as Democrats across the country view their party's leaders as feckless. "Voters have a different theory of what is electable right now," said Rebecca Katz, a consultant to Platner. "Someone who knows what they believe and is willing to fight for it."