Platner seeks the Democratic Senate nomination to set up critical Maine race with Collins

By — Patrick Whittle, Associated Press Patrick Whittle, Associated Press By — Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press Kimberlee Kruesi, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/platner-seeks-the-democratic-senate-nomination-to-set-up-critical-maine-race-with-collins Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Platner seeks the Democratic Senate nomination to set up critical Maine race with Collins Politics Jun 9, 2026 12:08 PM EDT PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Graham Platner has attracted a following of enthusiastic supporters and been confronted with a string of controversies as he has transformed from a political unknown into the leading Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in one of the year's most critical races. Platner is running in Tuesday's primary for the chance to face longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins, a contest that Democrats see as a must-win as the party tries to claim control of the Senate in November. Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Platner's path to the nomination grew easier in late April when Democratic Gov. Janet Mills dropped out citing a lack of money, though her name still appears on the primary ballot because she suspended her campaign late in the race. The only other Democratic candidate is David Costello, a former government official in Maryland who has not campaigned aggressively. Platner has been dogged by political controversy , including sexually explicit text messages he reportedly sent to women while he was married and former girlfriends' claims that he could be demeaning toward women. His background has made some Democrats anxious about their chance to flip the important seat. Live Results: Maine midterm primaries He said during an event days before Tuesday's primary that he wants to "take this seat back for working Mainers" by beating Collins. "We can build a government by working people, for working people," he said during a rally Friday in Bar Harbor. "We need to build a world in which everyone in this country has the time to live up to their full potential." Maine voters on Tuesday also will choose Republican and Democratic nominees for governor in crowded contests to replace Mills. In the 2nd Congressional District, Democrats will choose 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. The primaries will 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' 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 day