PORTLAND, Maine (Diya TV) — Graham Platner won Maine’s Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, earning the right to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races.
The victory positions Platner, a political newcomer and oyster farmer, as the Democratic nominee in a race that could help determine control of the Senate after the November election. Democrats view Maine as one of their best opportunities to flip a Republican-held Senate seat. The state backed Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election, making it a key battleground in the fight for Senate control.
Platner, 41, is a Marine veteran and former chair of the planning board in Sullivan, a small coastal town in eastern Maine. He entered the race as a progressive outsider and built support by focusing on economic issues such as housing affordability, healthcare costs, and income inequality. His campaign attracted large crowds across the state. He also gained early backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, which helped raise his profile among Democratic voters. As polls closed Tuesday, Platner delivered a final message to supporters through social media.
“We’re going to change the world,” he said. “We. All of us.”
Platner’s primary victory came despite months of scrutiny over his personal history and past comments.
During the campaign, opponents highlighted old online comments in which Platner appeared to support political violence, downplay rape in the military, and criticize police officers and rural communities. Platner apologized for those remarks. He said he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression when he made them.
He also faced questions about a skull-and-crossbones tattoo that critics linked to a Nazi symbol. Platner said he got the tattoo while on leave in Croatia and did not know about its association with Nazi groups. He later covered the tattoo with a new design. More recently, reports surfaced about sexually explicit text messages he allegedly exchanged with several women while married. Platner criticized media coverage of the issue and accused opponents of focusing on personal gossip instead of policy.
Additional scrutiny followed a New York Times report that included claims from former partners. One woman alleged that Platner twisted her arm and locked her in a room during an argument. His campaign strongly disputed the allegation. Despite the controversies, many supporters remained committed to his candidacy. Annette Babcock, a voter from Sullivan, said Platner’s status as a political outsider appealed to her.
“The Republicans don’t have much moral high ground to stand on when they’re criticizing him for what he’s done when Trump is a convicted felon,” she said.
Platner now faces Collins, one of the Senate’s most experienced lawmakers and a dominant figure in Maine politics. Collins, first elected in 1996, ran unopposed in the Republican primary. She is the only Republican senator from New England and currently serves as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. Throughout her campaign, Collins emphasized her seniority and influence in Washington as reasons voters should return her to office.
She has argued that her leadership position gives Maine a rare opportunity to secure federal resources and advance key priorities. The general election will likely feature a sharp contrast between Collins’ decades of experience and Platner’s anti-establishment message.
Maine voters also cast ballots Tuesday in crowded primary races for governor and the state’s 2nd Congressional District. The governor’s race drew several high-profile Democratic candidates, including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former House Speaker Hannah Pingree, energy executive Angus King III, and former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah.
Republicans selected from a large field that included former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Bobby Charles, healthcare executive Jonathan Bush, and former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason, among others. In the 2nd Congressional District, Democrats chose a nominee to face former Gov. Paul LePage in November. The seat became open after Democratic Rep. Jared Golden decided not to seek reelection.
Maine’s primary elections use ranked-choice voting. Voters rank candidates in order of preference rather than selecting only one candidate. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote in the first round, election officials eliminate the lowest-performing candidate and redistribute votes based on voters’ next choices. The process continues until one candidate secures a majority, which means final results in some races may take several days. With the primaries now complete, attention shifts to the Senate race between Platner and Collins, a contest expected to draw national attention and significant campaign spending as both parties battle for control of the Senate.
