Republicans fear of 'fatal mistake' in must-win Platner race
GOP Tells Party Not to Count Out Democrat With Nazi Tattoo in Maine Senate Race
By Maine News Now Staff
The National Republican Senatorial Committee is warning its members and allies that Maine's U.S. Senate race is the most consequential contest of the cycle and that underestimating Democratic nominee Graham Platner would be a serious mistake, despite a string of controversies that have dogged his campaign.
In a memo obtained by Fox News Digital, the NRSC, the campaign arm for Senate Republicans, described Maine as the "linchpin" of the 35 Senate seats up for election this year. Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, is the lone GOP incumbent seeking reelection in a state that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, making her seat the most realistic pickup opportunity for Democrats hoping to return Chuck Schumer of New York to the position of Senate majority leader.
"It is a fatal mistake to assume Platner is too damaged to win," the memo stated.
The NRSC acknowledged that Platner faces a long list of troubles. The oysterman from Maine's coast has faced questions about a Nazi tattoo, allegations of past violence toward women raised by a former girlfriend, and a self-described arousal from using biocide in portable toilets. He is also running on what Republicans describe as a socialist policy platform. According to the memo, the committee believes any one of those issues would have ended most campaigns, yet Democrats have continued to rally behind him.
Platner secured the Democratic nomination on Tuesday. Since entering the race, he has outraised Collins in every fundraising quarter. The NRSC noted that after his former girlfriend, Lyndsey Fifield, went public with allegations against him, Platner raised $200,000 in a single day, which his campaign called its best haul of the cycle.
"Senator Collins has won tough races before and can win this one, but only if we meet this moment with total urgency," the memo read.
Republicans pointed to several recent examples of high-profile Democrats standing by Platner. Representative Ro Khanna of California traveled to Maine for what the NRSC described as a sympathetic interview-style advertisement. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island dismissed Platner's controversies as "a lot of nothing." And former Biden deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty was quoted as saying, "Gotta do what you gotta do."
The NRSC also highlighted a comment from James Carville, the strategist who managed Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. According to the memo, Carville said of Platner, who served in the military and has spoken about experiencing post-traumatic stress: "We've got a f---ed up guy who could be 100 times more f---ed up than he is and he'd never be as f---ed up as what we've got in Washington." Carville suggested that Platner's struggles should serve as a symbol on Capitol Hill for why neoconservatives have been wrong about war powers.
The NRSC described this pattern of Democratic support as evidence that the party is not abandoning its nominee but rather rationalizing his flaws and preparing to fight.
"This is not a party abandoning its nominee. This is a party rationalizing, accepting, and preparing to fight," the memo stated.
In a separate comment to Fox News Digital, NRSC national press secretary Bernadette Breslin said Platner "has become the new face of the Democratic Party, forcing Democrats to own his mounting scandals and socialist wish list."
"Come November, Mainers will see through his fraudulent working-class persona and reject the political baggage Democrats are now stuck defending," Breslin said.
The memo laid out a three-part strategy for Republicans: "Define Platner. Defend Collins. Resource Maine."
"Senator Collins has proven time and time again, through her work ethic and commitment to the people of Maine and America, that she will prevail," it read. "This race can be won, but it will not win itself."
Collins is the last remaining Republican holding federal office in New England and the only GOP senator north or east of Pennsylvania. She last won a competitive contest in 2020, defeating former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon by roughly eight points. Her most recent electoral loss came in 1994, when current independent Senator Angus King won the governorship in a four-way race.
The NRSC reported that Platner is exceeding Harris's 2024 margin in Maine by seven points, underscoring both the challenge Collins faces and the opportunity her seat represents for national party control.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Platner campaign and the Collins campaign for comment.
Note to editors: This story was rewritten from wire material into original reporting by Maine News Now staff. The underlying facts are drawn from a National Republican Senatorial Committee memo and reporting by other outlets; Maine News Now has not independently verified the allegations against Platner, and he has not been found guilty of any crime described in the source material. Any response from the Platner campaign, the Collins campaign or the DSCC will be added if received.