Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and military veteran, won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary on June 9, securing the party’s nomination to face Republican incumbent Susan Collins in one of the nation’s most competitive Senate races this fall.
Platner easily defeated his main opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign in April but remained on the ballot. The victory sets up a general election on November 3 between Platner and Collins, a five-term senator who has held Maine’s U.S. Senate seat since 1997.
According to a UMass Lowell poll conducted in early June, Platner holds a slight lead in a general election matchup, with 48% of likely voters supporting him compared to 43% for Collins, with 6% undecided and 2% backing another candidate. A gender gap emerged in the survey: 54% of women and 42% of men support Platner, while Collins earns 35% of women and 51% of men.
Platner, a Marine and Army veteran who served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, announced his candidacy in August 2025 and built his campaign around an anti-war message rooted in his experience with post-traumatic stress disorder. He has criticized Collins for voting in favor of the Iraq War and has framed his candidacy as a working-class challenge to the incumbent.
“When hurtful things I said on the internet a decade ago came out into the public, as I shared my personal journey through PTSD and darkness, through accountability and growth, Maine had my back,” Platner told supporters at a rally in Bar Harbor on Friday, according to The 19th. His campaign raised $200,000 the day after recent news coverage, its best fundraising day since Mills suspended her campaign.
The race has drawn national attention from progressive leaders. Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Chris Murphy have endorsed Platner’s campaign, and he held a weekend rally with Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
However, Platner’s candidacy has been marked by controversy. Last year, he was revealed to have gotten a tattoo of a skull-and-crossbones symbol adopted by a Nazi paramilitary unit while serving in the military in Croatia. Platner said he was unaware of the symbol’s associations at the time and has since had it covered. He has apologized for past social media posts on Reddit that appeared to blame survivors of sexual assault in the military.
In recent weeks, additional scrutiny emerged over his personal relationships. The Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported that Platner’s wife had flagged sexually explicit text messages with other women as a potential liability at the start of his campaign. The Times also reported on accounts from past girlfriends who described troubling behavior, which Platner acknowledged, citing his untreated PTSD at the time, while calling the most serious accusations false and “politically motivated.”
Collins is seeking a sixth term and is the only Republican senator representing a state that voted for Democrat Joe Biden in 2020. Maine voters gave Biden 53.1% of their support in the 2020 presidential election, yet Collins won reelection with 51% of the vote. A UMass Lowell poll showed 53% of Maine voters view Collins unfavorably, compared to 36% who view her favorably, while 62% disapprove of President Donald Trump’s job performance.
The Senate is currently controlled by Republicans with a 53-45 majority. For Democrats to win back the chamber, they must hold all their seats and flip at least four Republican-held seats. Maine is considered one of their most viable targets.
Sources
- The 19th — Platner’s primary victory, general election matchup with Collins, campaign controversies, and controversies surrounding his past relationships
- UMass Lowell — General election polling showing Platner at 48% vs. Collins at 43%, gender gap, and voter favorability ratings
- Wikipedia — Platner’s background as oyster farmer and military service details
