Platner wins Maine Senate primary, setting up Collins challenge
Why it matters: Democrats now head into a key Senate race with a nominee trying to contain fallout from personal scandals.
Graham Platner won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary on Tuesday, formalizing a general-election matchup with Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the party’s most important Senate targets. Collins also secured her party’s nomination without serious opposition as she seeks a sixth term. Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, used his election-night speech to acknowledge past mistakes and urge skeptical Democrats to give him a chance to rebuild trust. His nomination comes after reports of sexually explicit messages with multiple women while married and new allegations about his conduct in past relationships. Maine Gov. Janet Mills had already suspended her bid in April after Platner built a commanding lead.