Democratic Party, Leaders Coalesce Behind Controversial Maine Senate Nominee Platner

National Democratic Party leaders threw their support behind Graham Platner within hours of his victory in Maine’s Democratic Senate primary on June 9, while the Republican Party’s Senate campaign arm released an attack ad on the same evening, opening up the general election showdown against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) as Democrats seek to retake the upper chamber.

Platner, an oyster farmer and military veteran, easily won the primary, as his main rival, Gov. Janet Mills, had suspended her campaign in April but remained on the ballot. As of the morning of June 10, Platner was leading Mills by a margin of 71.8 percent to 19.5 percent, with other candidates falling farther behind.

Collins, who ran unopposed in the Republican primary, was first elected in 1996 and is seeking a sixth term. She is the only Republican senator representing a New England state. Maine backed former Vice President Kamala Harris over President Donald Trump by about 7 percent in 2024.

Democrats need to gain four seats to win Senate control and count Maine among their top targets. Platner ran as a progressive and won endorsements from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Ken Martin congratulated Platner in a June 9 statement.

“In less than a year, Graham Platner built a grassroots movement around putting working Mainers first—ahead of corporations, special interests, and the ultra-wealthy,” Martin said. “While Susan Collins cuts healthcare, increases everyday costs, undercuts workers, and rubberstamps Donald Trump’s extreme agenda, Graham will focus on making life more affordable and delivering for communities across Maine. The DNC is ready to help organize and mobilize voters to defeat Susan Collins, take back the Senate, and prioritize the concerns of working families.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, issued a joint statement.

“Over the past year, we have created a path to win a Democratic Senate majority and put a stop to the chaos and damage of the Trump administration by defeating the Republicans who enable his harmful agenda,” they said. “Susan 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. In November, Maine voters will elect Graham Platner, and we will win a Senate majority.”

Collins’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment on June 10 from The Epoch Times on her Senate colleagues’ statement or Platner’s nomination.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released a digital ad attacking Platner the same evening, contrasting his background with Collins’s record.

“Today marks the beginning of the end for Graham Platner. He will be exposed, his agenda destroyed, and Mainers will reject him,” NRSC Chairman Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) said in a statement. “No amount of DC Democrat support or left-wing billionaire backing will save him. The choice in Maine is clear and nothing will be taken for granted.”

The Republican National Committee and the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, also issued statements criticizing Platner.

Platner won the nomination after months of controversy that heated up in recent weeks. The New York Times reported an allegation from Lyndsey Fifield, a Republican strategist who dated Platner between 2013 and 2015, that he twisted her arm and engaged in other acts of physical aggression. The newspaper stated that it could not independently corroborate the claims, and Platner denied them.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with women during his marriage; his wife, Amy, called the reporting “shameful” gossip in a video. Platner also had a tattoo on his chest of a symbol of the Nazi SS paramilitary group; he denied having had knowledge of the meaning of the symbol and had it covered in October 2025. Critics also pointed to past online posts that were allegedly dismissive of sexual assault, for which Platner apologized.

In his victory speech, Platner said that Collins “has become just as spineless and corrupt as the establishment she now serves.”

The Platner campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment from The Epoch Times on June 10.

Mills released a statement on the night of June 9 that did not mention Platner’s win, saying that she is “grateful to Maine people and incredibly proud of what we have accomplished together.”

Collins’s campaign pointed to her record in a statement after Platner’s win. Spokesperson Shawn Roderick said that Collins “will run on her own record of delivering results for Maine.” The General Election is on Nov. 3.

Joseph Lord contributed to this report.