Platner wins Maine Democratic Senate primary against Collins

Democrat Graham Platner won Maine’s U.S. Senate primary Tuesday, setting up a high-stakes November contest against Republican Sen. Susan Collins that could help determine control of the Senate.

Platner, a 41-year-old Marine veteran and oyster farmer running his first campaign, faced little opposition after Maine Gov. Janet Mills suspended her bid in April, though her name remained on the ballot. Collins, first elected to the Senate in 1996, was unopposed in the Republican primary as she seeks a sixth six-year term.

The race is expected to be one of the most competitive of the cycle. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, while Democrats hold 47 and need a net gain of four to win the majority. Collins is the only Republican senator seeking reelection in a state Donald Trump lost in 2024. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up.

Platner used his victory speech in Blue Hill, Maine, to attack Collins’ record and argue she has become too aligned with Republican priorities. “Susan Collins may have started her career decades ago in Washington with good intentions, but she has become just as spineless and corrupt as the establishment she now serves,” he said, according to NBC News. He also criticized her vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, saying she “got elected promising to protect Roe versus Wade” and “lied to us.”

Collins’ campaign responded in a statement: “Mainers aren’t looking for bitter campaigns, grand promises, or angry speeches riddled with lies. They’re looking for results. They want affordable health care, safe communities, good-paying jobs, strong schools, and someone who will show up and do the work.”

Platner rose quickly as an anti-establishment candidate focused on the working class, opposing the “billionaire class,” taxing the rich, expanding the social safety net and getting money out of politics. He won support from prominent progressives including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

His campaign has also been marked by controversy. The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife told his campaign he sent sexually explicit text messages to other women soon after they married in 2023. The New York Times reported allegations from women he dated about “unsettling” behavior, including one claim that he was physically abusive. Platner has denied physical abuse and suggested the allegations are politically motivated.

Platner has also apologized for years-old online comments, including Reddit posts criticizing police, suggesting some sexual assault victims bore some responsibility and labeling himself a “communist,” NBC News reported. He has described the posts as “Internet s—posting” from an earlier era that does not reflect his views today. He also covered up a tattoo from his time in the Marines that is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, saying he did not know its meaning when he got it.

Collins called the allegations “extremely troubling and serious” and said Platner “owes the people of Maine a detailed answer.” Some Democrats have urged him to step aside, including Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, who told CNN: “How can you accept somebody who abused women?”

Maine election law allows a party to replace a nominee who withdraws before 5 p.m. on the second Monday in July, with two weeks to select a replacement. Platner has insisted he will not drop out.

In his speech Tuesday, Platner acknowledged his past. “I’ve made mistakes in my life — mistakes that I regret, that I live with and that I continue to learn from,” he said. “I’m still far from perfect, but every day, I wake up and I try to be a little bit better and a little bit kinder than I was the day before.”

Collins has emphasized her independence and her work for Maine as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Last week, she cast her 10,000th consecutive Senate vote. Trump endorsed her in March, saying on Fox News, “I hope she wins. Because we have to. She’s a good person, actually. But we have to win. We have to keep the majority.”