Senate Republicans are warning that scandal-plagued oysterman Graham Platner could still defeat Sen.Susan Collins, R-Maine, if the party fails to take the race seriously.Republicans are defending several seats in expectedly close races, including Nebraska, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas, while seeking to flip Georgia.
Maine is different: Sen.Susan Collins' seat is the only Republican-held Senate seat in a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024, making it Democrats' most direct path to returning Sen.
Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., to the majority leader's office, Republicans said in a memo circulated Wednesday."It is a fatal mistake to assume Platner is too damaged to win," the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) memo obtained by Fox News — addressed to "Interested Parties" — read.The NRSC agreed that Maine is the "linchpin" of the 35 seats up this year and that despite Platner’s Nazi tattoo, allegations of misogynist violence, arousal from biocide in port-a-johns, and his socialist policy platform, he remains a credible threat to the middle-of-the-road Collins.SEE IT: MAINE VOTERS SOUND OFF ON PLATNER'S DIVISIVE CAMPAIGN AS CRUCIAL PRIMARY NEARS: 'HE'S A DISGRACE'Sen.Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Democratic U.S.
Senate candidate Graham Platner stood together during a "Fighting Oligarchy" tour stop at the Collins Center for the Arts on the University of Maine campus on May 24, 2026, in Orono, Maine.(Joe Raedle/Getty Images)"Senator Collins has won tough races before and can win this one, but only if we meet this moment with total urgency," the NRSC said."Because Democrats cannot win the majority without [Collins’ seat], they have fully rallied around Graham Platner, an extremely flawed, far-left candidate who secured the nomination last night.
Platner has captured his party’s financial backing, outraising Senator Collins in every quarter since entering the race.We must match both the energy and the money to retain the seat," the memo said.The NRSC...