Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner was absent from this year’s Oysterfest in Freeport, and his company, Waukeag Neck Oyster Company, did not have a booth at the event despite the presence of numerous oyster growers from across Maine.
The Maine Wire was at the event on Saturday, but America’s most-notable oyster farmer was nowhere to be found.
Several Platner campaign staffers attended the event and confirmed that the candidate would not be appearing. Instead, they encouraged attendees to participate in a town hall Platner is scheduled to hold Wednesday in Cumberland.
Platner has frequently highlighted his work as an oyster farmer during his Senate campaign, portraying his experience in Maine’s aquaculture industry as part of his political identity. However, critics have questioned the extent of his involvement in the industry.
Those questions have been amplified by The Maine Wire, whose editor-in-chief, Steve Robinson, recently appeared on Fox News and challenged Platner’s credentials as an oyster farmer.
Oysterfest is one of Maine’s premier annual celebrations of the state’s oyster industry, drawing growers, seafood vendors and thousands of visitors from across the region.
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