GRAHAM PLATNER SEEKS MAINE DEMOCRATIC SENATE PRIMARY WIN

Voters in Maine cast ballots on Tuesday in a Democratic Senate primary featuring Graham Platner, an oysterman and marine veteran. Platner entered the contest as the favoured candidate after his main rival, former governor Janet Mills, suspended her campaign. Incumbent Republican senator Susan Collins holds her position at the top of the Republican ticket. Maine is one of four states — alongside Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota — holding primary elections ahead of November's midterm elections.

Platner's campaign has faced a series of controversies since October, including allegations of harmful behaviour towards women, a tattoo identified as a Nazi symbol, and accusations of physical mistreatment from former girlfriends. On Monday, Genevieve McDonald, a former political director of Platner's campaign, published a column stating he was unfit for office. Writing in the Washington Post, McDonald said Platner "exhibits a pattern of dishonest behaviour that is impossible to ignore" and declared he would not be good for Maine or the country. McDonald also said that despite repeated assurances to voters and the Democratic Party that no further revelations would emerge, additional accusations continued to surface.

According to ground-level reports, some Democratic voters remained behind Platner. At a campaign event on Sunday, a supporter presented him with a hand-drawn card bearing the message "we've got your back." At the Cross Insurance Centre in Bangor on Tuesday, voters on both sides of the argument made their views known. The primary results will determine which candidate faces Susan Collins in the November midterm election.