Fact Check: Did Graham Platner lie about being an oyster farmer?

WASHINGTON, DC: Is Graham Platner really lying about being an oyster farmer? The claim gained attention after the head of a conservative Maine news outlet accused the Democratic Senate candidate of fabricating his blue-collar oyster farming background and using a fake business as a campaign prop.

The allegation quickly spread online and drew criticism from both supporters and opponents of Platner's campaign. But where did the claim originate, and does the evidence support it?

Claim: Steven Robinson accused Graham Platner of faking his oyster farming background

The claim originated from a June 5 Fox News appearance, where Maine Wire Editor-in-Chief Steven Robinson accused Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner of misrepresenting his oyster farming background. 

Speaking to Laura Ingraham, Robinson claimed Platner’s business was “a campaign prop” and said, “The oyster business, totally fake.” He also alleged that the business was created after Platner launched his Senate campaign website, saying, “And if you look at the date [when] his fake oyster business was created, it was created after ‘Graham for Maine,’ his Senate website.”

Platner’s Hancock County-based oyster farm, Waukeag Neck Oyster Co, is a key part of his biography as a Maine native and Marine Corps veteran. Platner is running to challenge Republican Sen Susan Collins, who has held the Senate seat for three decades.

The controversy grew after Senate Republicans released an ad targeting Platner’s image, and President Donald Trump also criticized him on June 10 during a bill signing event. Trump said, “He’s not a businessman at all. His parents supported him. He’s a loser.”

Fact Check: False

Platner’s campaign rejected the accusations and shared Robinson’s comments on X, calling them “defamatory.” Maine Wire also claimed in a June 8 Facebook post that the oyster business website was “just a prop for his campaign” and part of a “fake working-man routine.”

Public records show that Waukeag Neck Oyster Co’s parent company, Frenchman Bay Oyster Co, registered with the Maine Secretary of State’s Office in December 2018 and has remained in good standing. The company has also appeared on the Food and Drug Administration’s list of businesses approved to sell shellfish across state lines since 2021.

Records indicate that Platner operated the oyster business years before launching his Senate campaign. The farm’s website states that Platner joined the company in 2018 and took over operations in 2019, describing it as a small-scale aquaculture business that grew over time.

In 2021, Platner worked with the Maine Small Business Development Centers and received a $20,000 grant to purchase equipment for the oyster farm. The business also had customer reviews and online activity before he entered politics, including reviews that mentioned Platner’s involvement in harvesting and serving oysters.

State records also show that Maine approved Platner’s company for a 20-year aquaculture lease in 2021. During a public hearing for the approval, Platner said he wanted to expand his “existing aquaculture operations,” and records noted that he already had oyster farming permits.

Platner rejected claims that he was not a real oyster farmer, saying in an interview, “I work with my hands on the ocean and I don’t make much money. I’m not really sure what else the definition is than working, making money from working, not being rich.”

Robinson claimed Platner’s oyster business was a “campaign prop” and argued that the campaign website came before the farm’s website. However, archived records show the oyster farm website became active before Platner announced his Senate campaign.

Based on these records, the claim that Platner’s oyster business was “totally fake” is false.