WASHINGTON – A charismatic but scandal-prone oyster farmer cast as Democrats’ answer to Trump-style populism won a primary vote on June 9, landing the nomination for an election central to the party’s hopes of regaining the US Senate.
Graham Platner, a Marine veteran and harbormaster, built a fervent following in the north-eastern state of Maine, with a blunt anti-establishment message that many Democrats believe speaks to voters tired of cautious, stale party politics.
“I’m humbled and proud to officially be your Democratic nominee for the US Senate to take on Susan Collins and the billionaire class she represents,” Platner posted to social media on the night of June 9, after US media projected his win.
But the qualities that made him the most compelling figure in the state’s Democratic primary also unsettled the party’s national establishment, amid concerns that only a traditional candidate can unseat Collins, a five-term Republican senator, in November’s midterms.
Platner defeated Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills in June 9’s primary, who remained on the ballot despite suspending her campaign, along with lesser-known candidate David Costello.
His appeal has drawn comparisons to President Donald Trump’s disruptive rise: personal magnetism, contempt for establishment politics and a promise to break a system many US voters see as corrupt or exhausted.
But his campaign has been dogged by a long list of controversies, including old incendiary Reddit posts, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he later covered up, sexually explicit messages sent to other women early in his marriage and accusations from a former girlfriend that he was physically intimidating.
Platner has acknowledged a troubled period in his life, saying he struggled with undiagnosed PTSD and alcohol abuse, but he denies physically harming any former partner.
Republicans are already preparing to make his past central to the general election.
A Collins-aligned group is launching ads featuring Maine voters reading Platner’s old online posts and calling him “too risky.”
Platner’s supporters argue that his flaws are part of a broader redemption story and that voters are willing to accept an imperfect candidate who feels authentic.
But some Democrats have voiced their own concerns.
“Being a dirt bag is not authentic. You know, being a dirt bag is being a dirt bag,” Pennsylvania centrist Senator John Fetterman told CNN.
“And he’s just been caught doing and saying all of these things…consistently, he’s been lying about all of his behavior and the things that he’s done.”
Democrats worried about November say a general electorate is very different from a Democratic primary electorate – and that even modest erosion among women, Jewish voters or independents could be enough to save Collins.
There are primaries in four states on June 9 and two marquee Republican contests in South Carolina are set to be another test of Trump’s sway with his party’s grassroots.
Lindsey Graham, one of Trump’s most loyal allies in the Senate and a hawkish supporter of the Iran war, was projected to win by NBC News and Politico.
He faced a challenge from the right that could have forced into his first runoff if he failed to clear 50 per cent.
South Carolina Republicans are also choosing a candidate for governor, where Trump’s endorsed candidate Lieutenant Governor Pamela Evette was projected by NBC News to advance to a run-off to face Alan Wilson.
They advanced from a crowded field that included two representatives who angered Trump in the past: Ralph Norman, who backed Nikki Haley over Trump in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, and Nancy Mace, who condemned Trump’s conduct around the 2021 Capitol riot and backed the release of the Epstein files, against the president’s wishes.
Both gave up House seats to run for governor and now face being out of office in 2027. AFP
