Election Called In Susan Collins Primary
Sen. Susan Collins officially won the Republican nomination for Maine’s U.S. Senate seat on Tuesday after running unopposed in the GOP primary, setting up one of the most consequential Senate races of the midterm cycle.
Collins, 73, is running for a sixth term and will face Democratic nominee Graham Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer whose campaign has drawn support from progressive heavyweights including Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Platner enters the general election with the backing of the Democratic Party’s left flank, but also with significant baggage. He has faced scrutiny over a Nazi-themed tattoo and past disparaging comments about women who have been raped — controversies Republicans are likely to highlight as voters examine whether his record and ideology reflect Maine’s political values.
Speaking with Fox News Digital, Collins argued that Maine voters will ultimately see Platner’s agenda as far outside the state’s center-right and independent-minded tradition.
The race is being watched closely nationwide as Democrats attempt to chip away at the GOP’s narrow Senate majority. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York has made unseating Collins a major priority, once again placing Maine at the center of the fight for control of the chamber.
Collins told Fox News Digital that the political pressure from national Democrats is nothing new.
“I have been the No. 1 target of Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, not only in this campaign, but the last two campaigns as well. I’m always his No. 1 target,” she said.
Her confidence is backed by history. In 2020, despite trailing Democratic challenger Sara Gideon in numerous polls and facing massive outside spending from liberal groups, Collins won re-election by nearly 9 percentage points.
Democrats poured money and national attention into that race, only to watch Collins outperform expectations and deliver a decisive win.
This time, Schumer and Senate Democrats face a political environment that may be even more difficult. The Democratic caucus has struggled with internal fractures, progressive frustration, and public disagreements over major votes and party strategy.
Those divisions could complicate the party’s effort to present a united front behind Platner, particularly in a state where many voters have historically valued independence, moderation, and practical governance over ideological activism.
Collins said she believes Mainers will reject Platner’s agenda, though she made clear she is not taking the race lightly.
“I believe that will be the conclusion of Maine voters. But, obviously, I don’t take anything for granted,” she said.
Platner, meanwhile, used his victory speech Tuesday night to dismiss many of the controversies surrounding him as politically motivated attacks.
He claimed the allegations against him were “manufactured,” suggesting his campaign is already trying to move past the scandals that could define the general election.
Platner said members of the political establishment “keep looking for that one story, that one headline, that one moment in my life that they can define the campaign by.”
He continued, “In trying so hard to understand me, they failed to understand that this is not about me at all. This is a movement about us, about the far too many, working far too hard and struggling far too much.”
The Democratic nominee also targeted Collins directly, attacking her voting record and signaling support for left-wing efforts to reshape the federal judiciary.
He accused Collins of failing to protect abortion rights and sought to tie her to President Donald J. Trump.
“If you are an independent voice, why do you vote with Donald Trump 95 percent of the time?” he said, addressing his opponent directly.
“If you’re so bipartisan, why are you the deciding vote to put Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court?” Platner added.
Platner’s campaign is being boosted by some of the most prominent figures on the progressive left, including Sanders, Warren, and Rep. Ro Khanna of California.
That alliance makes the race a clear ideological contrast: Collins, a long-serving Republican known for her appeal to moderate and independent voters, against a Democratic challenger openly aligned with the party’s far-left wing.
The outcome could help determine whether Republicans maintain control of the Senate, giving the race national importance far beyond Maine’s borders.
Platner’s policy platform underscores the progressive direction of his campaign. On his campaign website, he calls for “passing a constitutional amendment to ban billionaires buying elections!”
For Schumer and national Democrats, Maine represents another chance to take down Collins after repeated failures. For Republicans, the race is an opportunity to hold a critical seat and expose the Democratic Party’s growing dependence on far-left candidates and activist-driven politics.