{"id":1637,"date":"2026-06-10T09:07:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:07:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=1637"},"modified":"2026-06-10T09:07:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:07:18","slug":"platner-wins-democratic-senate-primary-in-maine-will-face-collins","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=1637","title":{"rendered":"Platner wins Democratic Senate primary in Maine, will face Collins"},"content":{"rendered":"
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PORTLAND, Maine \u2014 Graham Platner won the Maine Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, setting up a high-stakes race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins.<\/p>\n

Read more SPLC on hot seat over evidence staffer shacked up with paid neo-Nazi informant<\/a><\/p>\n

Platner, an oyster farmer and former chair of the planning board in the small town of Sullivan, has little political experience but has drawn hundreds of people to rallies around the state. He also has faced a string of controversies that have been the focus of attacks from his rivals. Yet, since entering the race, Platner has stressed the importance of believing in redemption for those like him who have made mistakes but are now working to be better people.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you believe, as I do, that we can change our politics and change our country, then you must also believe that people can change,\u201d Platner said during his acceptance speech in Blue Hill, a rural town where he was born. \u201cAnd the reason I believe that is because I have lived it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Democrats see Maine as a top opportunity to flip a GOP-held seat. It is the only state with a competitive Senate race where voters supported Democrat Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in 2024. Collins is the only Republican senator from New England.<\/p>\n

Platner, a progressive who had early support from Sen. Bernie Sanders, has said he plans to focus on economic issues such as housing and healthcare.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny of those who feel let down, or disappointed, or disillusioned, it is my job to earn your trust, faith and support, and I will spend every day of this campaign, and if I have the privilege, every day in the United States Senate doing exactly that,\u201d Platner said.<\/p>\n

Maine voters on Tuesday were also choosing Republican and Democratic nominees for governor in crowded contests to replace Mills. In the 2nd Congressional District, Democrats were choosing a nominee to face former Gov. Paul LePage, who is unopposed in the GOP primary. Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden is stepping down, giving Republicans hope of winning back a district that President Donald Trump easily won in 2024.<\/p>\n

The primaries involve the use of ranked choice voting, in which voters can rank the candidates on their ballot in order of preference. If no candidate breaks 50% of the popular vote, the bottom finisher is eliminated, and voters\u2019 second choices come into play. The tabulations continue until a candidate achieves a majority of the total votes, meaning results may not be known for days.<\/p>\n

Platner energized Democratic voters<\/h3>\n

Platner, 41, is a Marine veteran and oyster farmer who was chair of the planning board in the small town of Sullivan. He has focused his campaign on fighting the high costs he says hold down the middle class and said he got in the race to focus on income inequality.<\/p>\n

He had early support from progressive champions like Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent, helping to boost his candidacy. Senate Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer backed Mills, 78.<\/p>\n

Platner campaigned as an outsider willing to take on billionaires and the Washington establishment, including Collins. He has drawn hundreds of people to his rallies around the state.<\/p>\n

His background has generated criticism from both the right and the left.<\/p>\n

Old online comments made by Platner in which he appeared to endorse political violence, dismiss rape in the military and criticize both police officers and rural America surfaced last year. Platner apologized for the comments and said he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression when he wrote them.<\/p>\n

Read more A government-commissioned study found drinking risks. U.S. guidelines didn\u2019t feature its findings<\/a><\/p>\n

He\u2019s also faced questions about a skull-and-crossbones tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol. Platner said he got the tattoo on his chest during a night of drinking while he was on leave in Croatia. He has maintained that he was unaware until recently that the image had been associated with Nazis, and he has since covered the tattoo with a different design. A former girlfriend told New York Times has since said that he did.<\/p>\n

More recently, he went on the defensive amid reports that he previously exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women while married. Platner hasn\u2019t directly denied the existence of the texts but instead criticized the aide who talked to news outlets and accused the media of running gossip.<\/p>\n

The New York Times last week reported about his relationships with previous girlfriends, some of whom viewed him positively and others who described him as volatile and insulting. One woman said Platner twisted her arm during an argument and locked her in a room. Platner\u2019s campaign disputed the allegation.<\/p>\n

Annette Babcock, who is from Platner\u2019s hometown of Sullivan, said she\u2019s met him a few times and likes that he\u2019s not an established politician. His recent controversies didn\u2019t dissuade her from supporting him Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Republicans don\u2019t have much moral high ground to stand on when they\u2019re criticizing him for what he\u2019s done when (President Donald) Trump is a convicted felon,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Collins is unopposed in the GOP Senate primary<\/h3>\n

A matchup between Platner and Collins would pit a progressive with no experience in high office against one of the most powerful legislators in the Senate, and one of its few remaining moderate Republicans.<\/p>\n

First elected in 1996, Collins is the only Republican senator left from New England. She has said her experience and key position as chair of the powerful appropriations committee are two reasons to send her back to the Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has been 92 years since a Maine senator was chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the most powerful committee in the Senate,\u201d Collins said in May, saying she had a \u201conce-in-a-century opportunity to help the state of Maine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Primaries for governor and 2nd House District are also on the ballot<\/h3>\n

In the governor\u2019s race, Democrats are choosing between Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows; former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson; former Speaker of the Maine House of Representatives Hannah Pingree; energy executive Angus King III; and former director of the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Nirav Shah.<\/p>\n

The Republican ballot for governor is even more crowded. Republicans will choose between former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Bobby Charles; healthcare executive Jonathan Bush; former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason; University of Maine System trustee Owen McCarthy; former Paris, Maine, selectman Robert Wessels; and business owners David Jones and Ben Midgley.<\/p>\n

In the 2nd Congressional District, former Maine Secretary of State Matt Dunlap, state Sen. Joe Baldacci, former U.S. Senate candidate Jordan Wood and social worker Paige Loud are on the ballot for the Democrats. The winner will face LePage, a Trump ally.<\/p>\n

Read more Trump administration warns more than 500 hospitals to provide more price information or face fines<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/em><\/p>\n

Associated Press journalist Rodrique Ngowi contributed from Sullivan, Maine.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Graham Platner won the Maine Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, setting up a high-stakes race against Republican Sen. 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