January 1, Radical Senate Hopeful Teams Up With Socialist Icon for Shocking Rally Pledge

Wyatt’s Take

• Maine Democrat Graham Platner just went full socialist at a Bernie Sanders rally, promising to take wealth “back” from corporations and billionaires while attacking five-term Senator Susan Collins as “corrupt.”
• Platner echoed Sanders’ radical tax schemes — including a punishing 5% annual wealth tax on the richest Americans — and slammed U.S. support for Israel, claiming our tax dollars fund “bombs to drop on children” in Gaza.
• This is the new face of the Democratic Party: class warfare rhetoric, anti-Israel extremism, and a promise to “transform America” into something Maine voters won’t recognize.

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont socialist, on Monday and delivered a fiery speech that sounded more like a Marxist manifesto than a stump address. Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee gunning to unseat five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins, took direct aim at Collins, U.S. defense spending, and America’s support for Israel.

The event, billed as a “Fighting Oligarchy” rally, drew progressive activists to Portland and served as a launching pad for Sanders’ effort to mobilize the far-left base ahead of the midterm elections. Sanders also made stops with Maine gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson as part of his swing through the state.

Platner didn’t hold back, calling on the crowd to build a “political revolution” and seize power from corporations and billionaires.

“We are taking back what is ours. We’re going to take it back from the corporations that seek profit, no matter the cost from the billionaires for whom greed is the point, and from corrupt politicians like Susan Collins, corrupt politicians who have sold us out,” Platner said.

He continued his assault on Collins, painting her as a tool of the wealthy elite.

“It is a system that is the politics of Susan Collins, a politics that turns politicians into millionaires, but tells you to be grateful for crumbs.”

Throughout the rally, Platner recycled Sanders’ well-worn economic grievances, accusing health insurance companies of “lining their pockets with our blood, sweat, and tears.” It was classic left-wing class warfare — pitting Americans against each other based on income brackets rather than offering real solutions.

But Platner didn’t stop at domestic policy. He turned his sights on American foreign policy, specifically targeting U.S. support for Israel in its defense against Hamas and Iranian-backed terrorism.

“Our tax dollars can build schools and hospitals in America instead of bombs to drop on them in Gaza and Iran,” he said.

The comment was a direct echo of the far-left’s anti-Israel talking points — equating legitimate military defense with wanton destruction of civilians. It’s a narrative that ignores Hamas’ use of human shields and Iran’s role as the world’s leading state sponsor of terror.

Sanders then took the stage and framed Platner’s candidacy as nothing short of revolutionary.

“You elect Graham Platner senator, you’re going to transform America,” Sanders declared.

The Vermont socialist laid out exactly what that transformation would look like, promising Platner would back his extreme tax proposals targeting the nation’s wealthiest citizens.

“I introduced legislation, which Graham will be by my side in fighting for, which says that we are going to impose a 5% annual wealth tax on 938 billionaires in America,” Sanders said.

Sanders introduced that legislation earlier this year. It’s a scheme that would punish success and innovation, treating wealth creation as something to be confiscated rather than celebrated. It’s also likely unconstitutional, but that’s rarely a concern for progressives on a mission.

Platner was also positioned as a warrior against Big Tech, with Sanders warning that billionaires like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg could control the future of artificial intelligence and robotics unless stopped.

“Graham understands… we are not going to let a handful of billionaires control the future of this country,” Sanders said.

Why It Matters

This is what the modern Democratic Party has become — a coalition of socialist dreamers and anti-Israel extremists who promise to “take back” wealth they never earned in the first place. Maine has always been a independent-minded state that values common sense and hard work. The question now is whether voters will reject this radical vision or hand the keys to someone who thinks America’s real enemies are its own entrepreneurs and allies.