Graham Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer from Sullivan, Maine, won Maine's Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, according to Maine Public, setting up a November race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
The AP called the Maine primary about an hour-and-a-half after polls closed, with Platner holding 75 percent of the Democratic vote at the time the race was called. Collins ran unopposed for the Republican nomination, making the general election a direct test of whether Platner's progressive populist campaign can survive months of controversy and defeat one of Maine's most durable political figures.
Highlights
- Graham Platner won Maine’s Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate and will face Susan Collins in November.
- Platner had 75 percent of the Democratic vote when the AP called the race.
- Collins ran unopposed for the Republican nomination.
- Platner’s campaign faces scrutiny over Reddit posts, a Nazi-linked tattoo he covered up, and reported sexual messages.
- Both parties are already framing the race around whether voters prioritize controversy or economic issues.
Platner turns anti-establishment campaign into commanding Senate nomination
Image credits: Getty Images
Platner launched his campaign in August 2025, with backing from Bernie Sanders and organized labor. He cast himself as a progressive challenger to party insiders and built his pitch around working-class voters in Maine.
His win also followed a major shake-up in the Democratic field. On April 30, 2026, Mills suspended her campaign, and Senate Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand later said they would help Platner defeat Collins.
By late May, the race had moved sharply in his direction. A poll showed Platner with a commanding lead in the Democratic primary and ahead of Collins in a general election matchup.
In a victory statement posted on X, Platner framed the race as a fight over class and power. “I’m humbled and proud to officially be your Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate to take on Susan Collins and the billionaire class she represents. Together, we will win this seat back for working Mainers,” he said.
Image credits: Getty Images
But Platner enters the general election with serious questions still following him. CNN reported on controversial comments posted under the Reddit handle “P_Hustle,” after Platner’s account had been deleted.
Other controversies followed. A tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol surfaced, and Platner has since covered it up. The Wall Street Journal also reported that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women early in his marriage.
Platner has disputed key details of some claims against him. A former girlfriend told The New York Times that he knew the tattoo was a Nazi symbol and joked about it. He denied her allegations.
Both parties now see Maine as a high-stakes test of scandal, loyalty, and turnout
Image credits: MAINEiac4434 / Wikimedia Commons
Some Democrats have voiced concern that Platner gives Collins too much material for the general election. His former political director, Genevieve McDonald, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed on the eve of the election that he “is not someone who would be good for Maine or for the country.” She left the campaign last fall around the time Platner’s online posts and tattoo came to light, and accused Platner and his campaign of downplaying those issues.
Collins has also pressed the issue. “The allegations against Graham Platner are extremely troubling and serious, and he owes the people of Maine a detailed answer,” she said, according to CNN.
Her campaign has tried to draw a contrast around temperament and governing. “Mainers aren’t looking for bitter campaigns, grand promises, or angry speeches riddled with lies. They’re looking for results,” Collins campaign spokesperson Shawn Roderick said, according to CNN.
Republicans moved quickly after the primary call. “Today marks the beginning of the end for Graham Platner,” Sen. Tim Scott, chair of the NRSC, posted on X.
Image credits: MAINEiac4434 / Wikimedia Commons
Platner and his allies argue that voters care more about economics and local needs than the headlines around his past. “People don’t care about gossip or headlines. They care that you’re fighting for their hospitals, their paycheck, their kids,” Platner told NPR.
Sen. Tina Smith echoed that argument after his win. “Graham Platner is gonna win because he has connected with Mainers on what they really care about: How this country can work for them, not just the wealthy,” she said, according to Newsweek.
The November race now gives Maine voters a stark choice: a long-serving Republican incumbent who ran unopposed in her primary, or a first-time Democratic nominee whose anti-establishment message survived a bruising primary season. Both parties now have a clear target, and the race for Collins’ seat has officially begun.