David GilmourMay 8th, 2026, 4:21 pm
(Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP Images) (Christian Science Monitor via AP)
A new Republican poll shows Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) leading presumptive general election challenger Graham Platner (D) by 11-points in one of the country’s most closely watched Senate races.
The survey, released Friday by the National Republican Congressional Committee, was conducted before Governor Janet Mills (D), the preferred choice of the party establishment, abandoned her Senate bid, effectively handing Platner a clear path to the Democratic nomination.
The result may rattle Democrats, who have viewed Maine as a prime pickup opportunity in their push to retake the Senate.
Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer and Marine Corps veteran, has surged to prominence with a progressive message aimed at wealthy elites and Washington insiders. But his rapid rise has been accompanied by mounting controversy that Republicans are already weaponizing ahead of the general election.
Platner’s old Reddit posts and social media comments were resurfaced by CNN’s KFile during the Democratic primary, including remarks critics described as misogynistic and homophobic. He later apologized for the posts and said they did not reflect who he is today.
His campaign also faced backlash in October after shirtless images of him went viral, showing he had a tattoo resembling the “totenkopf” skull symbol, historically associated with Nazi SS soldiers. Platner subsequently claimed he was unaware of its historical meaning and had the tattoo covered. KFile again dug up some of Platner’s old online activity, which showed he was fully aware of the Nazi connotation of the tattoo.
Friday’s poll, however, suggests Collins, a six-term incumbent who has repeatedly outperformed national Republicans in a Democratic-leaning state, may remain politically formidable with a consolidated conservative voter base despite mounting Democratic hype around Platner’s outsider campaign.
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