Graham Platner shrugs off scandals to win Maine Democratic Senate primary

Graham Platner, a Marine veteran, oyster farmer and progressive activist, has scaled a mountain of personal controversies to win the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in Maine.

Victory on Tuesday caps a remarkable rise for a candidate who has never held elected office and whose campaign was shadowed by negative headlines that might have ended a more conventional political career.

Instead, in a result that would have seemed improbable only a year ago, Platner emerged battered but unbroken, convincing Democratic voters that his flaws are forgivable or unimportant in a year dominated by economic anxiety and anger at Donald Trump.

The result sets up one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterm elections. Platner will face the senator Susan Collins, a Republican running for a sixth six-year term, in November. The race is seen as a must-win for Democrats to take control of the Senate, where Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority.

Platner’s primary-night watch party was held in a YMCA gym in Blue Hill, about 30 miles from his home town of Sullivan. A blue banner with a US flag, Maine state flag and the slogan “Graham Platner for US Senate” was erected behind a stage against a blue curtain backdrop. Guests were invited to hold signs that included “Families for Graham”, “Farmers and Fishers for Graham” and “Labor for Graham”.

For months Platner’s candidacy resembled a political stress test and prompted soul searching in the Democratic party about moral hypocrisy, policy imperatives versus private misconduct and whether the party should emulate Republicans by putting need to win above other concerns.

Reports emerged that Platner had exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married. Former partners described him as volatile and unfaithful.

One ex-girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, a Republican operative, alleged in the New York Times that more than a decade ago he twisted her arm behind her back during an argument and held her in a room against her will – claims that Platner categorically denied.

At the same time, scrutiny intensified over a tattoo recognised as a Nazi symbol, which Platner said he obtained without understanding its meaning and later covered up. Old Reddit posts resurfaced in which he used homophobic slurs and appeared dismissive of military sexual assault.

Platner responded with a mixture of contrition and defiance, openly discussing what he described as a troubled period marked by untreated PTSD and alcohol abuse following military service. Voters who might once have recoiled from such disclosures instead appeared willing to view them as evidence of personal redemption.

His wife, Amy Gertner, played a pivotal role in that rehabilitation effort. In a widely shared video released after reports about the text messages surfaced, she dismissed the coverage as “gossip” and spoke candidly about the challenges of marriage.

The willingness of prominent Democrats to stand by Platner proved equally important. Senator Bernie Sanders remained one of his staunchest defenders, arguing repeatedly that voters cared more about healthcare costs and economic insecurity than the details of a candidate’s marriage. Senator Elizabeth Warren, Congressman Ro Khanna and other progressives also refused to abandon him.

On Monday, Khanna posted a social media video of himself talking with Platner on a floating dock in Sorrento, Maine. “I am supporting @grahamformaine today because of his passion for opposing war,” the California congressman wrote. “An honest conversation about the human toll and his journey.”

Kyle Kulinski, a progressive and host of the show Secular Talk, told the Politico website: “If we’re convinced you walk the walk on policy, we’ll overlook personal issues. The days of weak apologetic Dems are over. Our Tea party is here.”

Even Democratic leaders who had initially backed Governor Janet Mills gradually reconciled themselves to Platner’s emergence as the party’s standard-bearer after Mills suspended her campaign in April.

They are aware of the stakes. Although Collins has repeatedly survived Democratic challenges, strategists believe a favourable national environment and growing dissatisfaction with Republicans could make this her most difficult re-election campaign in years.

The populist Platner filled theatres and town halls across Maine by railing against income inequality, soaring housing costs and a healthcare system that many rural residents believe has abandoned them. His military service and working-class background allowed him to connect with voters who have often drifted away from Democrats in recent years.

Many voters stuck with Platner despite the firestorms. Aiden Grant, a 31-year-old student who moved to Maine from Texas seven years ago, said: “He actually cares about the Maine people and cares about the rights of minorities. I’m disabled and I’m queer so those are quite important for me.”

Platner’s missteps did not deter Grant. “Yes, he’s got some bad publicity, probably made some poor choices in his life but he owns that. He accepts that he made mistakes and he doesn’t try to hide it, which I value because everyone makes mistakes but, if you’re gonna fuck up, you’d better own it.”

At a Platner watch party on Tuesday evening, state representative Valli Geiger told the crowd: “I am so grateful that we refused to allow people who are oligarchs, people who are the press from all over the country to decide for us who we’re voting for and what we believe in. We don’t buy it. We’re here and I know, and they know, that Graham is the match that strikes the movement.”

However, outside the Democratic tent, Platner’s baggage is viewed as a fundamental disqualifier. Adam Jones, a 44-year-old farmer with elaborate arm tattoos, said: “I don’t think the man has the character befitting somebody to take public office.”

Jones recalled being addicted to heroin 21 years ago before discovering Jesus and changing his life but is unconvinced that Platner found redemption. “He’s just trying to get into office. There has not been enough time to prove that he has actually changed.”

Critics fear that the primary campaign has merely previewed a general election in which every aspect of Platner’s past will be dissected on a national stage. Some Democrats privately worry that fresh allegations could emerge before November.

Speaking to CNN on Monday, Josh Gottheimer, a Democratic congressman from New Jersey, demanded: “How can you accept somebody who abused women? That’s going to affect us in other parts of the country and campaigns and I think really be an issue for the party.”

Gottheimer urged Platner to step aside and allow another Democratic candidate to take on Collins. “I don’t understand how somebody like this is going to represent our party and I think the best action would be for him to leave and get somebody else who’s qualified onto the ballot.”

Maine, known for a fiercely independent political streak, was also choosing party nominees for the House of Representatives and the governor’s mansion on Tuesday.

In the second congressional district, a largely rural area that Trump carried in 2024, Democrat Jared Golden’s decision not to seek a fifth term created one of the country’s most competitive open-seat races. The primary candidates included former congressional aide Jordan Wood, ex-secretary of state and current state auditor Matt Dunlap and state senator Joe Baldacci, brother of the former governor, John Baldacci.

The winner will face Paul LePage, a combative former Republican governor who is unopposed for his party’s nomination. Although Wood has dominated fundraising among the Democratic contenders, LePage entered the final stretch of the campaign with the biggest cash reserves.

The race to succeed the term-limited governor Mills was similarly crowded. Democrats were choosing between secretary of state Shenna Bellows, former state senate president Troy Jackson, businessman Angus King III, former state house speaker Hannah Pingree and former state CDC director Nirav Shah.

On the Republican side, tech executive Jonathan Bush, former state department official Bobby Charles, former state senate majority leader Garrett Mason and businessman Ben Midgley are competing for the nomination.

King is the son of the independent senator Angus King, Pingree is the daughter of congresswoman Chellie Pingree and Bush is the nephew of former president George HW Bush and cousin of former President George W Bush.