Graham Platner, the Maine oyster farmer who has faced controversies over his Nazi tattoo, social-media posts, extramarital sexual texting and an allegation of physical abuse from a former girlfriend, won the Democratic primary election for Senate in Maine on Tuesday.
The Associated Press called the race for Platner about an hour after polls closed, with only a fraction of the vote counted. The second-place contender in the race, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign for the seat in April but remained on the ballot.
The Maine Senate race is one of the most closely watched of the 2026 contests, as Democrats seek to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in a state where former Vice President Kamala Harris defeated U.S. President Donald Trump by 7 percentage points.
At press time, Platner had 73% of the vote against 19% for Mills, with 26% of votes counted.
A former Marine and Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Platner is running on the Democratic left and has embraced positions like “Medicare for all” and accusing Israel of “genocide,” which earned him an early endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
Platner’s controversies have drawn condemnation from some Democrats, including Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.), who called Platner’s recently-covered SS Totenkopf tattoo “disqualifying,” and Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who described Platner as a “ghoul.”
But he continues to enjoy support from leading Democrats as they look to retake control of the Senate from Republicans.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) focused on defeating Collins and taking back the Senate in their statement reiterating their endorsement of Platner after his victory on Tuesday.
“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,” Schumer and Gillibrand stated. “In November, Maine voters will elect Graham Platner, and we will win a Senate majority.”
Schumer, who is Jewish, has said often in the past that his name refers in Hebrew to being a “guardian” of the Jewish people.
Polls released before Tuesday’s primary but after Platner’s former girlfriend accused him of physical abuse suggest that the race between him and Collins will be close, with Platner leading but within the margin of error with the incumbent Republican.
