Topline
Graham Platner secured 75% of votes around the time the Maine Senate Democratic primary was called Tuesday, in what had virtually become an uncontested race, though a string of recent controversies about his relationships with women threaten to derail Democrats’ chances of flipping the seat in November.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks to voters at a town hall at the Elks Lodge 188 on Sunday in Portland, Maine. (Photo by Laura Brett/Getty Images)
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Key Facts
Platner ran uncontested in the primary after Gov. Janet Mills effectively ended her campaign in April, before allegations against Platner were made public and as he held a significant polling lead over Mills.
Mills remained on the ballot, however, and won 19% of votes.
As Platner’s controversies grew, Mills reminded voters she was still on the ballot, telling the Portland Press Herald, “people have the impression that I ‘withdrew’ or ‘dropped out,’ but I simply suspended active campaigning.”
Platner will go on to face five-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who ran uncontested, in the November general election.
Platner led Collins in polls before the latest allegations about Platner’s relationships, with a University of New Hampshire survey taken in late May showing Platner leading Collins 51% to 42%.
Tangent
Platner still had a 58% chance at winning the general election over Collins in Kalshi betting odds as of 3 p.m. EDT on primary day. His odds have decreased from a high of 73% in April, though have rebounded from earlier this month, when he briefly became an underdog against Collins.
What To Watch For
Democrats need to win four additional seats to take back control of the Senate. Collins’ seat is one of three rated toss-ups by Cook Political Report, meaning it’s crucial for Democrats to win the race to regain the majority.
Key Background
Platner, a U.S. military veteran and oyster farmer, was relatively unknown in the political world before declaring his candidacy in August. Billing himself as the working class candidate who would fight billionaires “and the politicians who sell us out” in a breakout ad to launch his campaign, Platner quickly gained the support of progressives including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. In late May, reports surfaced that his wife flagged to his campaign that she previously caught him exchanging sexual messages with as many as a dozen other women, according to The New York Times. Platner’s wife corroborated the report, but defended her husband, and said their marriage is strong. Last week, The New York Times reported several women who had been in relationships with Platner described him as volatile, toxic and unfaithful. The Times interviewed other ex-girlfriends who said they never witnessed that type of behavior from Platner and described him as a good partner. One of the women interviewed by the Times, Lyndsey Fifield, who has worked for conservative groups and Republican politicians, said he was physically rough with her at times when drinking. She also said Platner knew while they were dating that the tattoo on his chest—which he has since covered up—was a Nazi symbol, despite insisting he wasn’t aware of its meaning until shortly after launching his campaign. Platner denied Fifield’s allegations of being physical with her or knowing his tattoo resembled a Nazi skull and crossbones, but appeared to acknowledge some of the troubling behavior. He told MS Now, “in this piece, there’s a lot about my struggling, not being a good boyfriend, certainly self-medicating with alcohol, and I’ve been very up-front since the beginning of this campaign that that was a pretty dark period of my life after I came back from my combat service.” He said there are “things that I absolutely will take responsibility for.”