Platner wins Maine Democratic Senate primary despite scandals

Maine is one of four states that held primaries on Tuesday, and the Senate race there drew national attention as Democrat Graham Platner won the nomination to face incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

Polls closed in Maine and South Carolina. Nevada and North Dakota also held primaries on Tuesday.

Platner, a 41-year-old military veteran and oyster farmer, won the Democratic primary, according to CBS News projections. He has presented himself as a working-class, anti-establishment candidate focused on opposing the "billionaire class."

New allegations against Platner surfaced in the week before the primary. The Wall Street Journal reported that his wife told his campaign he had sent sexually explicit text messages to other women shortly after the couple married in 2023. The New York Times reported on alleged "unsettling" behavior toward some women he dated, including one who described him as "toxic" and "abusive," especially when drinking. Platner has denied physical abuse and suggested the claims are politically motivated. He has acknowledged struggling with PTSD and alcohol during what he called a "very dark period of my life."

The new reports followed earlier controversies, including internet comments Platner made years ago and a tattoo he got while serving in the Marines that is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol. He has apologized for the posts and covered the tattoo.

The Times report came after Maine Gov. Janet Mills, 78, dropped out of the race in April. Although national Democrats recruited and initially backed Mills, the only Democrat to win statewide office in Maine in two decades, Platner's support eclipsed her campaign. Mills' name remained on the ballot Tuesday along with another candidate, David Costello.

Platner expressed confidence ahead of the primary. Allies in Congress have largely defended him while acknowledging the controversies. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., said on "Face the Nation" that if there were evidence of violence or sexual assault, he would not support Platner.

"We should focus on acknowledging it was misogynistic, acknowledging it was wrong, moving on with redemption, and then focusing on his issues, which are stopping the war, taking on the billionaire class," Khanna said.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has also stood by Platner. He told CBS News chief Washington analyst Robert Costa on Monday that he will "do everything I can" to help Platner win.

"I think when you look at politics in general, there are no saints in the United States Senate," Sanders told Costa. "People can argue about this aspect of Graham or another, but to my mind right now, we need allies in the United States Senate who have the guts to take on the big money that is dominating this country."

Genevieve McDonald, Platner's former political director, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed on the eve of the election that Platner "is not someone who would be good for Maine or for the country." McDonald left the campaign last fall after Platner's online posts and tattoo came to light. She accused him and his campaign of downplaying those issues and wrote that he "exhibits a pattern of dishonest behavior that is impossible to ignore."

Collins, who is running unopposed in the GOP primary, is the only Republican seeking reelection to the Senate in a state that Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024. She has served in the Senate since 1997 and chairs the Appropriations Committee. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report rates the race a toss-up.

In Maine's 2nd Congressional District, Democrats are trying to hold the seat held by Rep. Jared Golden, who is retiring after four terms. Golden, a moderate Democrat who declined to endorse Harris in 2024, has at times voted with Republicans. The Cook Political Report rates the race as likely Republican. President Trump won the district in the last three presidential elections.

Four Democrats are running to face Republican Paul LePage, a former two-term governor who is unopposed in the GOP primary. State Sen. Joe Baldacci is viewed as the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination and has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He faces state auditor Matt Dunlap, social worker Paige Loud and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood.

Mills is term-limited, leaving the governor's race wide open. Seven Republicans and five Democrats are on the ballot for their parties' nominations. Maine uses ranked-choice voting, and voters can rank up to five candidates.

Democrats Rep. Chellie Pingree, former state Senate President Troy Jackson and state Attorney General Shenna Bellows have formed an alliance, asking supporters to rank all three to shut out Nirav Shah and Angus King III, the son of Sen. Angus King. State Sen. Richard Bennett has qualified for the November ballot as an independent. The Cook Political Report ranks the race as likely Democrat.

In South Carolina, Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson advanced to a runoff in the Republican primary for governor, according to CBS News projections. Neither won a majority. Reps. Nancy Mace and Ralph Norman were eliminated. State Rep. Jermaine Johnson is projected to win the Democratic nomination.

The candidates are seeking to replace term-limited Republican Gov. Henry McMaster. No Democrat has won statewide office in South Carolina since 2000, and Trump won the state with 58% of the vote in 2024. Trump endorsed Evette after passing over Mace and Norman. He called her a "good friend, fighter, and WINNER."

On the Democratic side, the chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party urged candidate Mullins McLeod to drop out and focus on his mental and emotional well-being after The Post and Courier published police dashcam video of him shouting incoherently in the back of a police cruiser.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democratic pediatrician Annie Andrews won their parties' nominations for Senate in South Carolina, according to CBS News projections.

In Nevada, Gov. Joe Lombardo faces several primary opponents, none viewed as serious threats, said University of Nevada-Las Vegas political science professor Rebecca Gill. Democrats Aaron Ford and Alexis Hill are competing to challenge Lombardo in November. Ford has support from the Democratic establishment, while Hill is running as a progressive. The Cook Political Report has not issued a rating for the race.

In North Dakota, Republican Rep. Julie Fedorchak is seeking a second term and faces a primary challenger. Democrat Trygve Hammer, who lost to Fedorchak by 39 points in 2024, is running unopposed.