The Democrats’ three defenses of Graham Platner

Published June 11, 2026 7:00am ET | Updated June 11, 2026 12:08pm ET



The Maine Senate race between Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) and Democratic challenger Graham Platner is on, with Platner winning his primary with more than 70% of the vote despite numerous scandals.

Platner’s supporters have stuck by him after sexually explicit texts, reports of physically and emotionally abusive behavior toward ex-girlfriends, a since-covered Nazi tattoo, and a series of controversial Reddit posts.

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