This week, in a special live interview, David Sirota sat down with Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. 

Platner is a military veteran and oyster farmer who is a first-time political candidate running in the Democratic primary in the race to challenge Republican Senate incumbent Susan Collins. His rough-around-the-edges campaign has resonated with Maine’s working-class voters, sending him surging in the polls. But his past social media comments have surfaced in the last few weeks, thrusting him into controversy and pushing voters to ask: does Platner still have a shot at winning the Senate seat, and should he? 

As a special bonus episode, we’re releasing the unedited audio of that interview. Click here to watch the video on YouTube.

Get ad-free episodes, bonus content and extended interviews like this one by becoming a member at levernews.com/join.

To leave a tip for The Lever, click here. It helps us do this kind of independent journalism.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices