Maine voters cast ballots Tuesday in one of the year's most consequential primary elections, with a U.S. Senate race that has captured national attention as Democrats attempt to dislodge a three-decade Republican incumbent with a controversial political newcomer whose candidacy has been upended by an escalating series of personal allegations.
Graham Platner, 41, an oysterman and Marine veteran, is poised to become the Democratic nominee after his primary rival, two-term Governor Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in April. The matchup will pit Platner against Republican Senator Susan Collins, 73, who has held the seat since 1997 and won reelection in 2020 despite a hostile electoral environment for her party.
Democrats view Maine as a genuine flipping opportunity in their fight for Senate control. Platner's campaign has packed rural town halls and drawn substantial donations from inside and outside the state, fueled by a populist message attacking Washington and military spending abroad. "Our tax dollars can build schools and hospitals in America instead of bombs to drop on them in Gaza and Iran," he told supporters in Portland. He frequently invokes his combat experience and struggles with military-related health issues as the foundation for his healthcare reform agenda.
Collins has long navigated a delicate political position. She broke with the Trump administration on his second impeachment and on Pete Hegseth's defense secretary nomination, yet she anchored the president's agenda with her vote for Brett Kavanaugh, a decision that ultimately cleared the path to overturning Roe v. Wade. This election cycle, Democrats are working to reframe her centrism as complicity with Trump rather than independence.
Platner held a narrow polling edge over Collins before his latest controversies, though the race has tightened from his previous advantage.
The scandal began almost immediately after his entry into the race. Old social media posts containing racist, sexist, and homophobic language surfaced, which Platner attributed to war-related PTSD. He later disclosed that he had covered up a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. In recent weeks, the stream of revelations accelerated. His wife confirmed he sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women during their marriage. The New York Times subsequently published an investigation documenting what it described as abusive and unsettling behavior in his past relationships, including an allegation from a former partner that he twisted her arm behind her back and confined her to a room. That former partner, a Republican operative, also stated Platner lied about not knowing his tattoo's meaning. Platner has forcefully denied all allegations and dismissed them as politically motivated.
Speaking to hundreds of supporters in Bar Harbor on Friday, Platner positioned himself as an imperfect candidate who remains Democrats' strongest weapon against Collins. "When politically motivated, serious and false accusations are made against me, Maine, you have my back," he said. "The state of Maine raised me and the state of Maine saved me."
The revelations have created a bind for Democrats who championed the MeToo movement and have condemned Republicans accused of sexual misconduct. Some high-profile endorsers, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, have stuck with Platner. Representative Ro Khanna of California called his conduct "misogynistic" and "toxic," demanding an apology, yet appeared with him Friday anyway. But others have wavered. Representative Madeleine Dean of Pennsylvania said Platner "has disqualified himself," while Senator Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire told Punchbowl News the accusations deserve serious examination. Amanda Litman, president of the progressive group Run for Something, articulated the Democratic dilemma bluntly: flipping the Senate depends on Platner winning, regardless of the behavior allegations.
Many of Platner's Maine supporters remain unmoved. Diane Bessey, 69, who voted early for him with her husband, dismissed Republican criticism as hypocritical. "He's made mistakes, he's apologized. You can't point fingers if you voted for Donald Trump," she said. Yet roughly a third of Maine's electorate identifies as unaffiliated, and Platner cannot afford to lose voters who prioritize practical results over ideology. Before the Times report, Mills reminded the public her name remains on ballots and emphasized she had only paused, not formally ended, her campaign. "People have the impression that I withdrew," she told the Lewiston Sun Journal. "I simply suspended active campaigning."
Pollster John Zogby questioned the viability of a Mills comeback. "She was not doing well," he said. "She wasn't raising money and it wasn't even a competitive race." But he noted an asymmetry in how voters view candidates. "There's a different atmosphere out there in terms of a willingness to excuse our guy and not the other guy. Under normal circumstances, Platner would have been gone but these haven't been normal circumstances for a while."
The latest scandals have rattled Democratic voters already skeptical of Platner's November prospects. Brenda Garrand, 68, cast an absentee ballot for Mills in hopes others would follow suit. If Platner becomes the nominee, she is weighing voting for Collins despite supporting her opponent in 2020. "It makes me feel like a complete hypocrite," she said, "but the 'hold-your-nose vote' may be for Collins among people who just can't stomach Platner." State law permits the nominee to withdraw by July 13, with party replacement possible through July 27.
Beyond the Senate race, Maine's second congressional district will hold a competitive primary. The Republican-leaning seat, which rejected Trump in the past three presidential elections, is opening after moderate Democrat Jared Golden announced he would not seek reelection, citing rising political violence and incivility. A three-way Democratic primary features Jordan Wood, a former congressional staffer who briefly ran for Senate; state lawmaker Joe Baldacci, backed by party leadership; and former secretary of state Matt Dunlap. They will face Paul LePage, the former governor backed by the Trump administration, who won his Republican primary unopposed. The GOP views the rural district as a prime pickup opportunity.
Tuesday's primary also determines the Democratic gubernatorial field, a crowded race featuring former Maine CDC deputy director Nirav Shah, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, former state Senate president Troy Jackson, former House speaker Hannah Pingree, and Angus King III, son of the state's independent senator. Republicans field former Reagan official Bobby Charles as the polling frontrunner, with tech executive Jonathan Bush and businessman Ben Midgley trailing. Republicans aim to break the Democratic control of the governor's office and state legislature that has held since 2019.
Author James Rodriguez: "Platner is a test of whether Democrats will tolerate the personal baggage in a candidate they desperately need to win a Senate seat."
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