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PORTLAND, Maine —Maine’s newly minted Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner gloated Wednesday over how he was able to survive a Nazi tattoo, texting, and “porta s—ter” scandals — after the “supposed political geniuses” claimed he was finished.
And even the Senate GOP campaign arm is warning that “he is currently leading.”
“Since this thing started, we have been told time and time again by supposed political geniuses who are professionals and really know what they’re doing, that the campaign was over,” Platner gloated on MS NOW’s “Morning Joe.”
“We’ve been counted out time and time again, and then it doesn’t happen.”
Platner easily clinched the Democratic nod for Maine Senate, with 72%, though some 19.5% of Dem voters went to Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign in April, according to the latest numbers, which include 81% of the vote counted.
The victory came as Maine Democratic primary voters resoundingly shrugged off the litany of scandals against him, including as extramarital sexting, his alleged “unsettling” behavior towards past girlfriends, a tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, his incendiary Reddit history, and more.
The Post had spoken with dozens of Platner supporters during the primary cycle, all of whom stressed the importance of defeating incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).
“What they forget is that it’s that they’ve been counting out working people for so long that all of us down here in the real world, we want to see a different kind of politics now,” Platner said of the “political geniuses” counting him out.
The Marine veteran, who has repeatedly claimed he has no more skeletons in his closet before more scandals emerged, insisted that “there’s nothing out there that’s actually concerning.”
“People will make everything seem very concerning, because that’s what people do in politics,” he said.
Platner had given a message about redemption during his victory speech Tuesday, hailing his life’s story as living proof that people can change.
Meanwhile, despite the myriad scandals against Platner, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) issued an urgent memo underscoring how formidable he is in a general election.
The official Senate GOP campaign arm noted that Platner raised $200,000 the day after the bombshell New York Times story broke detailing his alleged “unsettling” behavior towards women and he has consistently outraised Collins.
“The political fundamentals in Maine remain challenging, and it is a fatal mistake to assume Platner is too damaged to win. He is currently leading. Vice President Harris won the state by 7 points, and the National Democrats view this as their only path to regaining control,” the NRSC argued in the memo.
“Senator Collins has won tough races before and can win this one, but only if we meet this moment with total urgency,” it added. “This race can be won, but it will not win itself.”
Winning Maine is paramount to Democrats’ mission of retaking the Senate in 2026. The NRSC described it as the “lynchpin” race of the cycle.
Platner currently has a 7.4 percentage point advantage over Collins, according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls.
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