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<\/a><\/p>\nGraham Platner speaks to voters at a town hall at the Elks Lodge 188 on June 7, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (Laura Brett\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
The victory was seen as a foregone conclusion after Platner\u2019s primary opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her candidacy in late April, saying her campaign could not afford to continue.<\/p>\n
Still, the final tally suggested that not all Mainers had embraced the political neophyte whose campaign was dogged by controversies, including the revelation that Platner had a Nazi Totenkopf tattoo on his chest for nearly two decades until he drew criticism for it on the campaign trail. He denied knowing it was a Nazi symbol.<\/p>\n
Mills, who remained on the ballot, drew about one in five votes in the first 10% of ballots counted, according to the tally published by The New York Times.<\/p>\n
The result sets Platner up to face off in November against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has received substantial support from pro-Israel donors. The latest polls suggest a tight race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m humbled and proud to officially be your Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate to take on Susan Collins and the billionaire class she represents. Together, we will win this seat back for working Mainers,\u201d Platner tweeted on Tuesday night. \u201cThank you, Maine.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Democratic leaders officially threw their support behind Platner after Mills halted her campaign, many of them remained circumspect about him. Their balancing act grew more delicate in the final days of the primary race, as Platner drew allegations of antisemitism over his characterization of donations channeled to Collins by the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC and as he faced new allegations of misconduct toward women. (He said he had been a \u201cfar from perfect boyfriend\u201d during some periods of his life but denied engaging in misconduct.)<\/p>\n
Now, top Democrats will have to decide how hard to gun for Platner, who has become a standard-bearer in the party\u2019s anti-Israel shift at a time when the chamber is narrowly divided.<\/p>\n
They are already facing pressure to disavow him. \u201cChuck Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in America, and every Senate Democrat propping up Platner\u2019s campaign, should be ashamed,\u201d the Republican Jewish Coalition said in a statement after the polls closed. \u201cTheir continued support of Graham Platner, who wore the symbol of Hitler\u2019s SS on his chest for 18 years is an outrage. Schumer must withdraw his support immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n