Sen. Elizabeth Warren weighed in Thursday on one of the Democratic Party's messier primaries—on the side of the outsider. The Massachusetts senator endorsed oyster farmer and combat veteran Graham Platner over Maine Gov. Janet Mills in the primary race to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November, making Warren the fourth senator to back the populist newcomer. She praised Platner as a fighter for working families against "billionaires and giant corporations," the Hill reports, while Platner called Warren an inspiration and said he wants to join her in taking on Wall Street and "corruption in Washington."
Democratic officeholders are split on the race, and a Boston Globe analysis suggests the endorsement could turn out to be the most significant of Warren's career. Sens. Bernie Sanders, Ruben Gallego, and Martin Heinrich are in Platner's corner, while Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto are backing Mills. The contest turned sharper this week when Mills released an ad with women resurfacing Platner's 2013 Reddit posts in which he minimized sexual assault; he has since disavowed those and other old online comments about law enforcement, Black people, and tipping, blaming a troubled period after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Warren's support could help counter those attacks, per the Globe. Recent polling averages show Platner ahead of Mills, 48% to 36%.
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