Janet Mills Says She Remains on Maine Senate Ballot as Platner Faces Texting Scandal
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 1
Janet Mills Says She Remains on Maine Senate Ballot as Platner Faces Texting Scandal
9 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 1
Janet Mills said she is "still on the ballot" in Maine's Democratic Senate primary, clarifying that she suspended campaigning a month ago but never formally withdrew.
Her comments landed as Graham Platner, 41, the likely Democratic nominee, faced scrutiny after admitting he sent sexually explicit texts to as many as six women outside his marriage.
The scandal has jolted a race in which Platner's progressive surge pushed Mills, 78, out of active campaigning in late April; David Costello also remains on next week's primary ballot.
The turmoil is distracting Democrats from their larger goal of unseating Republican Senator Susan Collins in one of the party's few realistic pickup opportunities.
Maine is the only state Kamala Harris carried in 2024 with a competitive Republican-held Senate seat, and Democrats need at least four GOP flips to win a majority.
Can a candidate who already suspended her campaign still win the primary?
How could ranked-choice voting decide a primary with a flawed frontrunner?
Why does Graham Platner’s controversial past not deter his supporters?