Graham Platner won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary and will face GOP Sen. Susan Collins in what party leaders see as a must-win race. The progressive beat Gov. Janet Mills and professor David Costello, but his campaign has been shadowed by past controversies
At 9:30 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, Maine’s Democratic primary stopped being a contest and turned into a verdict: Graham Platner would be the party’s nominee to challenge GOP Sen. Susan Collins.
As the race was called. Platner carried the night in a way that left little room for doubt—earning 75% of the vote to Janet Mills’ 19%. The momentum matters because Democrats must win Maine. a blue state that backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024 by a seven-point margin. to have any realistic path toward taking back the Senate.
Platner’s route to the nomination was straightforward on paper—he defeated Gov. Janet Mills and professor David Costello—but the campaign around him has been anything but simple. He rose to fame last summer with a viral launch video promising to take on the “oligarchy. ” and he has run hard against President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. Yet controversies have steadily taken the shine off his image: years-old offensive Reddit posts; a tattoo that was described as resembling Nazi iconography and later covered up; and more recent reports that he sent sexual messages to other women while married.
In his victory speech Tuesday night, Platner directly addressed the scandals instead of retreating from them. “I’m still far from perfect. but every day I wake up and try to be a little better. a little kinder. than I was the day before. ” he said while standing behind a lectern reading “They Don’t Know Maine.” He then cast the race as a chance for voters who feel ignored. “If you give me a chance. I will be a senator for the people who cannot afford to buy a senator.”.
He also went on the attack against Collins. “Susan Collins may have started her career decades ago in Washington with good intentions,” Platner said. “But she has become as corrupt and spineless as the establishment she now serves.”
Collins, who is seeking a sixth term in the Senate and has a powerful post as chair of the Appropriations Committee, has survived tough Democratic challenges before. But this year’s political environment has Democrats more optimistic about finally ousting her.
Still, Republicans were quick to frame Platner as a risk. Alex Latcham. the executive director of Senate Leadership Fund. said Platner “is a dangerous deviant who cannot be trusted to represent the Pine Tree State. ” adding that while Collins has shown “strong character. steady leadership. and unmatched effectiveness. ” Platner is unqualified and unelectable.
Platner’s win was also a clear rebuke to Mills. She entered the race late last year with support from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. but questions about her age and ideology kept many Democratic voters looking elsewhere. Mills ultimately dropped out in April.
After Tuesday’s result, Mills issued a statement that did not mention either candidate. “I will continue to fight with everything I have to improve the lives and livelihoods of Maine people,” she said.
The Democratic apparatus moved faster than any remaining hesitation. The DSCC made clear it was backing Platner. Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand. who chairs the DSCC. said in a statement that Collins “has never been more vulnerable after she voted with Trump 96 percent of the time. confirmed his far-right judicial nominees. and took millions from special interests while voting to rip health care away from Mainers.” They added: “In November. Maine voters will elect Graham Platner. and we will win a Senate majority.”.
The math is unforgiving for Democrats. Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate. and Maine is one of the few remaining battlegrounds that could realistically tip control. With that pressure, national Democrats are also watching whether Platner can survive the scrutiny that has followed him.
Some Democrats nationally remain wary, fearing that additional controversies could surface and bury his campaign. Platner and his allies insist that is overplaying insider chatter—arguing voters are focused on issues rather than personal history.
In his closing remarks, he took aim at the narrative already forming around him. “The national pundits. the political establishment. they keep looking for that one story. that one headline. that one moment in my life that they can define this campaign by. ” Platner said. “But in trying so hard to understand me, they failed to understand that this is not about me at all. This is a movement about us.”.
Graham Platner Susan Collins Maine Senate race Democratic primary Janet Mills David Costello DSCC Chuck Schumer Kirsten Gillibrand Senate Leadership Fund Appropriations Committee Trump Iran war