Graham Platner Faces Test In Maine Senate Primary Against Susan Collins

Maine voters headed to the polls on Tuesday for state primary elections that included a crucial U.S. Senate race between Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Democratic candidate Graham Platner, with Collins unopposed for renomination to a sixth term.

“As Graham Platner wrapped up his campaign for the Maine Democratic Senate nomination Tuesday, he ended it the way he began: by taking aim at AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby and political funder”

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

NBC Boston said polls close at 8 p.m., but Maine uses a ranked-choice voting system, meaning results might not be known for days.

Jewish Telegraphic Agency

The NBC News live results coverage described Platner as taking control of the Democratic primary months ago, while Maine Gov. Janet Mills opted to suspend her campaign.

The Washington Post framed the day as a test of Platner’s strength after stumbles, with the question hanging over whether troubling revelations about his past would lead a significant portion of Democratic voters to back Mills, who suspended her campaign in April.

The Guardian reported that Platner was favored to win the Democratic primary after Mills suspended her campaign, while Collins remained at the top of the Republican ticket.

The Guardian described Platner’s campaign as shaped by controversies including alleged “toxic” behaviour towards women and a tattoo recognised as a Nazi symbol, while voters at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor debated whether it was “not my job to judge.”

Jesenia Soler, 39, told The Guardian, “I like him,” and said the issues with women were “between him and the women,” adding, “It’s not my job to judge someone on what they’ve done as long as they’ve changed and moved forward.”

Le blogue de Richard Hétu

Jackie Farrell, an 81-year-old retiree who formerly worked for Catholic charities, voted for Mills and told The Guardian, “That he’s a Nazi – hello? And the girlfriends. I’m a woman so I understand that part of it.”

In a separate local report, Seacoastonline said Deana Cavan of Wells ranked Mills over Platner because “That decision came about because of some of the news that's been out lately,” and she said it was “a little upsetting.”

Seacoastonline also quoted Susan Wilder, who voted for Platner in the Democratic primary, saying, “I think he’s progressive, and we need a shakeup in the old system here.”

As the primary neared its end, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that Platner’s campaign took aim at AIPAC and that he believed Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, while his comments about AIPAC funding drew allegations of antisemitism from Jewish groups.

“What to Know - High-profile primaries for U”

NBC Boston

JTA said Platner suggested that AIPAC funding meant his Republican opponent was “bought and paid for by Benjamin Netanyahu,” and it reported that the Anti-Defamation League said the remark “invokes classic antisemitic rhetoric.”

The Washington Post described the broader political stakes as Democrats’ best chance to oust Sen. Susan Collins and see a new governor elected, with Collins running unopposed in the Republican primary.

NBC News coverage of the Senate primary results emphasized that projections and expected vote totals could change as NBC News gathered new information, and it referenced vote data via the Associated Press.

The Intercept added that Mainers were weighing whether national attention and stories about Platner’s past would move voters, while it quoted Shay Stewart-Bouley saying, “I don’t think the Times piece moved the needle much.”