Graham Platner Defeats Janet Mills to Clinch Maine Democratic Senate Nomination

Graham Platner won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday night, defeating Maine Gov. Janet Mills, as the Associated Press called the race soon after polls in Maine closed at 8 p.m.

“What to watch in Tuesday's primaries as Graham Platner tries to clinch Senate nomination in Maine Voters across Maine, Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota head to the polls for another day of primary elections in America WASHINGTON -- Voters across Maine, Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota head to the polls Tuesday for another day of primary elections in America, but much of the political world will be focused on Maine's high-stakes U”

ABC News

The Washington Post described the contest as one of the nation’s most significant Senate races, with Democrats seeing Platner as their best shot to oust Sen. Susan Collins.

ABC News

ABC News said the results were not in question for the party nomination, noting that neither Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins nor Democratic challenger Graham Platner faced serious opposition for their party’s nomination.

CBS News reported that Maine is one of four states where primary voters headed to the polls on Tuesday, with polls closed in Maine and South Carolina and primaries also held in Nevada and North Dakota.

The Guardian reported that Platner won 72% of the vote, setting up a November matchup against Susan Collins, a Republican running for a sixth six-year term.

ABC News said Platner’s campaign was rocked by controversy after revelations that he engaged in sexually explicit messages with multiple women while married, and after The New York Times reported new allegations about his behavior during previous relationships.

CBS News reported that Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna said, “We should focus on acknowledging it was misogynistic, acknowledging it was wrong, moving on with redemption,” while also saying he would not support Platner if there were evidence of violence or sexual assault.

CBS News

CBS News also quoted Sen. Bernie Sanders telling CBS News chief Washington analyst Robert Costa that “there are no saints in the United States Senate,” and arguing that Democrats need allies with “the guts to take on the big money that is dominating this country.”

The Guardian said Platner told supporters in Blue Hill, “If you believe, as I do, that we can change our politics and our country then you must also believe that people can change,” as it described a campaign shadowed by negative headlines.

The Guardian added that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, dismissed the coverage as “gossip” in a widely shared video released after reports about the text messages surfaced.

The Guardian said the outcome sets up one of the most closely watched contests of the 2026 midterm elections, with Platner facing Sen. Susan Collins in November as Republicans hold a 53-47 majority in the Senate.

ABC News said Tuesday’s primaries also tested President Donald Trump’s clout within his party in states like South Carolina and Nevada, where he endorsed his favored candidates.

In Nevada, the AP said Democrats nominated state Attorney General Aaron Ford for governor, and it quoted Ford blaming the “Lombardo-Trump economy” while saying, “Tonight we say: No más.”

The AP also reported that Teresa Benitez-Thompson won the Democratic primary in Nevada’s 2nd District, where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 70,000 in a district covering Reno and rural northern Nevada.

CBS News said the Maine Senate race is a priority for Democrats seeking to topple Collins, while also noting that Collins has been in the upper chamber since 1997 and exercises significant power as chair of the Appropriations Committee.