Platner Wins Maine 2026 Senate Primary, Putting New Hampshire Democrats On The Spot

By Michael Graham, NH Journal

Graham Platner, the scandal-plagued progressive with a Nazi tattoo, survived weeks of negative headlines and political hand-wringing to handily win Maine’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary. As of midnight Tuesday, he had more than 70 percent of the vote.

Platner’s victory sets up a high-profile November fight with Maine moderate Republican Sen. Susan Collins and creates potential headaches for Democrats next door in New Hampshire.

Platner, a Marine veteran and self-styled “oyster farmer,” defeated his Democratic rivals despite a series of controversies involving past online comments, allegations from former girlfriends, sexually explicit messages, and a tattoo of the Nazi SS Totenkopf symbol.

In his victory speech Tuesday night, Platner attempted to turn the controversies into a message of redemption.

“Redemption is not just some simple or easy destination. It’s a journey,” Platner said. “I’ve made mistakes in my life. Mistakes that I regret, that I live with, and that I continue to learn from. And I’m still far from perfect. But every day I wake up, and I try to be a little bit better and a little bit kinder than I was before.”

“And if you give me the chance, I will be a senator for the people who cannot afford to buy a senator,” Platner said.

Platner also debuted what appeared to be a new campaign slogan pushing back on pundits who said his history would make him too toxic to win in the Pine Tree State.

“They don’t know Maine.”

National Democrats quickly rallied behind Platner, focusing almost entirely on Collins and the chance to flip a Republican-held Senate seat in a state Democrats carried in the last presidential election.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, released a joint statement that did not mention Platner’s controversies.

“Over the past year, we have created a path to win a Democratic Senate majority and put a stop to the chaos and damage of the Trump administration by defeating the Republicans who enable his harmful agenda,” Schumer and Gillibrand said. “Susan Collins has never been more vulnerable after she voted with Trump 96 percent of the time, confirmed his far-right judicial nominees, and took millions from special interests while voting to rip health care away from Mainers. In November, Maine voters will elect Graham Platner, and we will win a Senate majority.”

The Democratic National Committee also congratulated Platner, framing his win as a victory for working-class politics.

“In less than a year, Graham Platner built a grassroots movement around putting working Mainers first — ahead of corporations, special interests, and the ultra-wealthy,” said DNC Chair Ken Martin. “While Susan Collins cuts health care, increases everyday costs, undercuts workers and rubber-stamps Donald Trump’s extreme agenda, Graham will focus on making life more affordable and delivering for communities across Maine. The DNC is ready to help organize and mobilize voters to defeat Susan Collins, take back the Senate, and prioritize the concerns of working families.”

Republicans, however, made clear they plan to make Platner’s past a central issue in the general election.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee began fundraising off Platner’s victory Tuesday night, calling him “the most extreme, scandal-ridden candidate” Democrats could have nominated.

“There can no longer be any doubt,” the NRSC wrote. “The Democrat Party is completely beholden to the Far Left.”

The NRSC also attacked Platner as a “fraud,” arguing that his blue-collar image does not match his background.

“He’s preaching about living a small but decent life growing up in Maine. The truth? Graham Platner is an elitist whose parents sent him to boarding school in Connecticut and bought him a house,” the NRSC said.

The Republican National Committee also targeted Platner, pointing to past comments and the latest allegations against him.

“Graham Platner says his violent and erratic past is being ‘weaponized’ against him,” the RNC research team posted on X. “Platner said he would rape someone to show his dominance and ‘rape was about power.’”

Platner’s win also creates a problem for Democrats across the nation, particularly in New Hampshire, where candidates have spent weeks dodging questions about whether Platner is fit to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Rep. Chris Pappas, who is running for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire, has repeatedly declined to say whether Platner is fit to serve, saying it is up to Maine voters to decide. Retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen called the allegations “serious,” but also declined to say whether Platner should be the nominee. Her daughter, Stefany Shaheen, a Democratic candidate in the NH-01 congressional race, refused to answer when asked about Platner, while a campaign staffer blocked a tracker’s camera with a doughnut.

That question is now harder to avoid.

Some Democrats, however, see Platner’s rough-and-tumble record as a feature, not a bug.

“If we’re convinced you walk the walk on policy, we’ll overlook personal issues,” said popular left-wing podcaster Kyle Kulinski. “The days of weak, apologetic Dems are over. Our tea party is here.”

This story was originally published by the NH Journal, an online news publication dedicated to providing fair, unbiased reporting on, and analysis of, political news of interest to New Hampshire. For more stories from the NH Journal, visit NHJournal.com.