PORTLAND — Graham Platner, Maine’s presumptive Democratic Senate nominee, released a 15-second campaign ad on New England Sports Network (NESN) accusing Boston Red Sox owners of ruining the franchise, but the ad was pulled during a game by the network. The spot aired briefly before being removed mid-broadcast.

Platner said in a statement: "We ran an ad during last night’s Red Sox game exposing how private equity is making everything in our lives worse, and it got pulled midway through the game by a station owned by Red Sox ownership. And of course, the Red Sox blew a 4-0 lead to lose the game." His ad accused private equity of "buying up our homes, our sports and our lives." It also included a promise to "reverse the private equity curse" if elected and referenced fan frustration over the 2020 trade of Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

New England Sports Network (NESN), which is owned predominantly by Fenway Sports Group (FSG), issued a statement explaining the removal. "NESN removes advertisements when credible concerns arise regarding the use of intellectual property. The advertisement in question was removed because the creative included unauthorized use of third-party intellectual property and did not comply with NESN’s advertising standards." NESN did not immediately answer questions about what specifically in the ad violated its rules.

The Red Sox did not respond to a request for comment. As of May 2026, the team held a 22-30 record and sat in last place in its division. Red Sox fans have chanted "sell the team" during home games this season.

Republican Senator Susan Collins’ campaign responded to Platner’s ad, calling it a distraction. Her campaign said in a statement that Platner's criticism of the Red Sox was an attempt to change the subject from "questions about his judgment and character." Platner has previously acknowledged and apologized for old social media posts about women, police, veterans, and rural Americans. He also had a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery that he later covered up, saying he was unaware of its meaning when he got it after a night of drinking.