Maine voters set up a Senate showdown: Graham Platner versus Susan Collins

BREAKING NEWSJun. 10, 2026, 1:22 AM UTC2026 Election2026 ElectionMaine voters set up a Senate showdown: Graham Platner versus Susan CollinsPlatner and Collins handily won their party nominations in Tuesday’s primary, setting up a marquee race with unique dynamics and major implications for control of the Senate.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at a rally in Portland, Maine, on May 25. Sophie Park / Bloomberg via Getty Images fileShareAdd NBC News to GoogleBy Sahil KapurIt’s official: Republican Sen. Susan Collins will face Democrat Graham Platner this fall, NBC News projects, in what will be a marquee election in the fight for control of the Senate.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Collins and Platner both won their primaries on Tuesday, in a predictable result. Collins, first elected to the Senate in 1996, ran unopposed for re-nomination as she seeks a sixth six-year term.And Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer running in his first political race, faced little Democratic competition as two-term Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign after failing to gain traction in the race. She still appeared on the primary ballot.While the primary results were foreseeable, what happens next is anything but. The Senate election has already become a battleground over the future of the Democratic Party and what voters think is most important, as Platner faces numerous controversies about his past conduct.And that’s before the real campaigning between the resilient incumbent and the brash outsider has even kicked off.Maine looms large in the battle for the Senate majority. Democrats currently hold 47 seats and need a net gain of four to capture the majority. Collins, as the only Republican senator from a state President Donald Trump lost in 2024, is an inviting target for defeat.Sen. Susan Collins on June 2.Daniel Heuer / Bloomberg via Getty Images...