PORTLAND, MAINE - JUNE 07: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks to voters at a town hall at the Elks Lodge 188 on June 7, 2026 in Portland, Maine. Platner is the presumptive Democratic nominee and will face incumbent Sen. Collins (R-ME) for Maine's U.S. Senate seat in the general election. (Photo by Laura Brett/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Graham Platner has won the Maine Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, setting up a high-stakes race against Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Platner is an oyster farmer and former chair of the planning board in the small town of Sullivan, has little political experience. But he has drawn hundreds of people to rallies around the state. He also has faced a series of controversies that have been the focus of GOP attacks. Democrats see Maine as a top opportunity to flip a GOP-held seat. It is the only state with a competitive Senate race where voters supported Democrat Kamala Harris over Donald Trump in 2024. Collins is the only Republican senator from New England.
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