Sen Susan Collins addresses controversies surrounding scandal-plagued Democratic challenger Platner

Fox News ^ | 6/22/26 | Nora Moriarty

[Libloather]

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, addressed her closely-watched race against scandal-plagued Democratic candidate Graham Platner, calling him the "antithesis" of the steady leadership she has provided Maine.

"I never expected to have an opponent like Graham Platner," Collins said in her first national interview since Platner’s nomination. "He is very different from me. He's the antithesis of the steady leadership that I provide and Washington that has delivered real results for the state of Maine and for our nation."

Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer, has spent much of his campaign on the defensive as multiple scandals have rocked his candidacy, including a chest tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol and abuse allegations from former girlfriends.

Collins’ race against Platner has become one of the most watched in the midterm cycle as top Democrats, including progressive champions Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have thrown their support behind the controversial candidate.

Platner is pushing an economically populist agenda, taking aim at corporate interests and advocating for the working class during his campaign.

Collins, who is running for a sixth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, remains in a tight race with Platner in left-leaning Maine, despite his resurfaced controversies.

"There have been numerous controversies. He often denies them only to be contradicted by others who say what he told them," Collins told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum on "The Story."

[DPMD]

Wait until Collins finds out he thinks Roe v Wade is settled law.