Primary victory

Graham Platner, a 41-year-old marine veteran and oyster farmer, won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maine on Tuesday with nearly 72% of the vote, according to international reports. More than 100,000 Democrats turned out for him, overwhelming a field that included the late-withdrawing Governor Janet Mills, who still garnered about one in five votes without campaigning. Platner’s victory speech in Blue Hill emphasized a movement beyond his personal story.

Graham Platner72%

Janet Mills (withdrew)20%

Others8%

Graham Platner

72 %

Janet Mills (withdrew)

20 %

Others

8 %

Data from the article text

Scandals and controversies

Platner’s campaign weathered a series of damaging revelations. A tattoo on his chest resembled a Nazi SS symbol, which he said he got during a drinking night as a marine and later covered, insisting he “never realized it could resemble Nazi symbols.” Old Reddit posts surfaced in which he made offensive comments about women and rural white voters, for which he apologized, citing PTSD after combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The New York Times reported allegations of physically abusive behavior toward an ex-girlfriend, and the Washington Post detailed sexually explicit messages he sent to other women early in his marriage. Platner denied the abuse allegations and argued that people can change.

Trump attacks, Democrats coalesce

President Donald Trump, speaking in the Oval Office on Wednesday, called Platner an “outright pig” and “a thug.”

“He’s just an outright pig. I come up with good names for people. I don't want to stick him with that one, although I think pigs would be very upset about it.”

Trump also praised Republican Senator Susan Collins, a three-decade incumbent, calling her “a sane woman,” despite having clashed with her when she voted to convict him after the January 6 attack.

National Democrats, meanwhile, quickly fell in line. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the race as a path to regain the Senate majority.

“Collins has never been so vulnerable after voting for Trump 96% of the time, confirming his far-right judges, and taking millions from special interests to strip healthcare from Mainers.”

The party’s Senate super PAC emphasized Platner’s economic populism, avoiding personal praise. Platner himself told supporters that Washington insiders “don’t know Maine.”

The fight for the Senate

Collins, 73, who has held her seat for 30 years, faces the toughest challenge in Maine’s polarized climate. Her votes for Trump administration priorities and previous support for Justice Department and cabinet nominees have angered many Democrats who once crossed over for her. Platner will need to perform well in the state’s rural Second Congressional District, which trends Republican and is also hosting a competitive House race. Republicans see an opportunity there to replace retiring moderate Democrat Jared Golden.

A protest vote for Mills, who remains on the ballot, signals some Democratic unease with Platner’s baggage. Yet the base’s hunger for an anti-establishment candidate willing to challenge Washington orthodoxy appears to have carried the night. As Platner put it:

“If you believe, as I do, that we can change our politics and change our country, then you must also believe that people can change.”