GOP lawmaker warns voters that Platner's 'extreme' policies just as concerning as his baggage: 'Stay away'
LEWISTON, ME - As Maine voters head to the polls Tuesday to nominate a Democratic Senate candidate, a Republican lawmaker in the state says that Maine voters should be most concerned with the policies of Graham Platner, even though his political baggage has received most of the attention.
"His personal life is a mess, right?" Maine Republican State Representative Laurel Libby told Fox News Digital on Monday. "We understand that. We've seen scandal after scandal come out. But what I think is incredibly dangerous are the policies that he's looking to advance."
Libby, who represents Maine House District 90, which encompasses Minot and part of Auburn, said one of the policies she is most concerned about is Platner’s support of the progressive "Green New Deal," sweeping legislation that would cost taxpayers tens of trillions of dollars and phase out fossil fuel production.
"Taking the extreme green agenda to DC that has already made our cost of electricity skyrocket in our state under Democrat leadership for the last eight years," Libby said. "If we see that implemented in D.C., and we see costs increase across the country, it won't just be crushing Mainers, it will be crushing American families and workers across the board."
Libby told Fox News Digital that it "doesn’t surprise me" Democrats are poised to nominate Platner, despite his laundry list of controversies that critics have seized on, because Maine has been led by the "same kind of extremism" for eight years as the party controls the governor’s mansion and legislature.
"We have seen 32 new or increased taxes, we’ve seen all of our overall cost of living increase and so Graham Platner has sprung out of that and is looking to take those same policies to D.C., harming not just Mainers but folks across the country," Libby said. "I think he's tremendously dangerous, and we can't have him in the Senate."
As Platner continues to experience high poll numbers despite his controversial positions and statements, Libby explained that she believes most of the affordability issues that are concerning voters are because of policies at the state level, rather than federal.
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"I think the majority of Maine voters are in a place where they're going, oh my gosh, the cost of living is killing us, it's hard to do business in Maine. Our costs are going up, and so we need something," Libby said. "Not understanding that it's state policies that are making life so hard for us. And so they look for a savior, and they think, you know, some of them think, some of the more extreme Mainers think that they've found that in Graham Platner. Couldn't be further from the truth."
"All he's gonna do is take these extreme policies that have already harmed us so tremendously here in Maine, increase electricity costs, increase the cost of living, increase our taxes, and take that to D.C., where then we're gonna continue to see a burden increase on Mainers. I think Mainers would be well advised to stay far away from Graham Platner and his extreme policies, or else we're going to see our costs continue to skyrocket here in Maine."
Fox News Digital reached out to the Platner campaign for comment.
Platner, widely believed to be the presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate, heads into a Tuesday night primary election where Democratic Gov. Janet Mills and former senior government official David Costello are on the ballot.
If victorious, Platner will square off against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.
Libby, who is not seeking re-election in 2026, recently launched Lead Maine, a group she hopes will empower more Maine voters with the tools to vote for strong conservative leaders in the state.
"We're looking to educate, engage, and empower Mainers to make the change that we want to see in our state," Libby said. "That does not include electing extremists like Graham Platner to the Senate, but making sure that Mainers understand that it's the government that's closest to us that affects us the most."