Washington Post editorial board criticizes Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner

The Washington Post editorial board criticized Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on Thursday, saying his proposals to address rising energy prices amount to "fantastical solutions" that would hurt consumers.

The board said Platner, who is challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, is "long on anger and short on real solutions." It singled out his "Take Back American Power" plan, which calls for a four-year freeze on electricity rates, a windfall tax on oil company profits and an end to the federal gas tax.

The editorial argued that price controls would discourage energy production while demand stays the same, creating a "recipe for shortages." It said Platner wants to use the Defense Production Act to force companies to build clean energy projects and create a federally backed loan program for energy infrastructure.

The board contrasted Platner’s approach with Texas, which it said has become the nation’s top producer of utility-scale solar power under an "all-of-the-above" policy. It noted that Texans pay less than half as much as Californians for electricity per kilowatt hour.

The editorial concluded that Platner’s plan has little chance of becoming law and would worsen the problems it aims to fix. Fox News Digital reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Platner has drawn criticism from other Democrats, including Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who called him an "avowed communist" and noted that Platner has described himself that way.