Platner Says Democrats Should Have Used Pressure to Pass Agenda

The progressive Senate candidate argues party leaders failed to leverage power to force holdouts to vote their way.

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner recently argued his party should have applied more pressure to holdouts like Sens. Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema who sank key parts of former President Joe Biden's agenda. Platner said that if this had happened under President Lyndon B. Johnson, those senators would have been threatened with 'DOJ investigations' to force them to vote the party line. Platner's campaign says he was illustrating the point that Democrats too often give up when they face resistance, not advocating for using the DOJ to pressure members of Congress.

Why it matters

Platner's remarks highlight the stark divides within the Democratic party, as he challenges the more moderate Gov. Janet Mills in the primary for the Senate seat currently held by Republican Susan Collins. Platner's progressive views on using political power to transform institutions stand in contrast to Mills' more restrained approach as governor.

The details

Platner made the comments at a party event in Auburn, arguing that Democratic leaders should have leveraged their power more to get holdouts like Manchin and Sinema to vote their way on Biden's agenda. He said that in the LBJ era, those senators would have faced threats of DOJ investigations to force them to fall in line. Platner's campaign says he was illustrating the point that Democrats give up too easily when they face resistance, not advocating for using the DOJ to pressure Congress.

  • Platner made the remarks at a party event in Auburn in February 2026.
  • The primary election between Platner and Gov. Janet Mills is coming up later in 2026.

The players

Graham Platner

A progressive Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Maine who is challenging Gov. Janet Mills in the primary.

Joe Manchin

A centrist Democratic senator from West Virginia who played a key role in blocking parts of President Biden's agenda.

Kyrsten Sinema

A centrist Democratic senator from Arizona who also helped block parts of President Biden's agenda.

Chuck Schumer

The Senate Minority Leader, a Democrat from New York.

Janet Mills

The Democratic governor of Maine who is backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in the Senate primary.

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What they’re saying

“If we had, I would say, senators or political leadership that felt the need to impose will to move things forward, we could have seen a different outcome.”

— Graham Platner, Democratic U.S. Senate candidate (Bangor Daily News)

“He was illustrating the point that Democrats these days too often throw up their hands and give up when they run into resistance — he was not advocating for using the DOJ to put pressure on members of Congress.”

— Platner campaign spokesperson (Bangor Daily News)

What’s next

The winner of the Democratic primary between Platner and Mills will face off against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election later in 2026.

The takeaway

Platner's remarks highlight the growing divide within the Democratic party, with progressives like him arguing the party should be more willing to use its power to force through its agenda, in contrast to more moderate Democrats like Gov. Mills who have taken a more restrained approach.