The Washington Post editorial board took aim at progressive Maine Senate candidate Graham Plattner on Thursday, accusing the Democratic challenger to Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins of offering “fantasy solutions” to voters’ real-world problems.
“These extreme policy proposals should be subject to as much scrutiny as the Nazi tattoos he covered up,” the committee wrote. The subtitle warned, “The Senate’s hope lies in anger but lacks real solutions.”
“Consider the rookie candidate’s new plan to tackle rising energy prices,” it added, arguing that his key campaign themes include “punishment”[ing] big business” while handing greater control of the economy to government bureaucrats.
The editorial focuses on Plattner’s recently unveiled “Take Back America’s Power” plan, which calls for a four-year freeze on electricity bills, a windfall tax on huge oil profits and an end to the federal gas tax to lower costs for consumers.
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Senate candidate Graham Plattner speaks during a town hall at the Levitt Theater on October 22, 2025 in Ogunquit, Maine.
(Getty Images)
“To encourage [sic] The states agree to this because they are responsible for regulating electricity prices and he will provide federal financing to build energy infrastructure,” the outlet said of the proposed rate freeze.
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“Putting an artificial cap on what people can pay will discourage the production of more energy, but not its use. In other words, it will lead to energy shortages.”
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The Washington Post editorial board noted that Plattner’s proposed energy policies may be problematic.
To offset supply-side concerns, the editorial notes, Plattner wants to invoke the Defense Production Act to spur companies to develop “clean” energy technologies while creating a federally backed loan program for energy projects — proposals that the committee believes would unnecessarily burden taxpayers with companies that fail to attract enough private investment.
The committee contrasted Plattner’s proposal with Texas’ energy policy, noting the state’s emergence as the nation’s leading utility-scale solar producer under a “comprehensive energy policy,” an approach that focuses on energy security through a diverse portfolio.
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Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins leaves a Republican Senate luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, Jan. 13. Plattner is seeking to replace Collins as one of Maine’s senators.
The editorial noted that “people living in Texas…pay less than half what Californians pay per kilowatt hour of energy.” The editorial argued that the real solution to rising energy costs is “making it easier to build,” while criticizing Plattner for neglecting deregulation.
Overall, the Editorial Board believes Plattner’s proposal relies too much on government intervention, price controls, and federal financing while doing little to address potential barriers to energy production.
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“Plattner’s plans have little chance of coming to fruition in the short term, which is good news for residents already harmed by the anti-growth policies he wants to intensify,” the committee concluded.
Fox Digital News reached out to Plattner’s campaign for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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Plattner has been criticized recently by other Democrats, including Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who has expressed caution about his progressive ideas.
“He was an open communist. He Claims to be a communist. Antifa, this is not a slur on my part. This is not a Republican favorite. That’s his own words, that’s how he described it,” Fetterman said.
Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
Original source of the article: Washington Post editorial board accuses Maine progressive Graham Plattner of offering voters ‘fantasy solutions’