Susan Collins talks about the controversy surrounding Democratic challenger Platner

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, spoke of her highly anticipated race against scandal-plagued Democratic candidate Graham Platner, calling him the “antithesis” of the stable leadership he has provided Maine.

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

Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer, has spent much of his campaign on the defensive as several scandals have rocked his position, including a chest tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol and allegations of abuse by ex-girlfriends.

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Collins’ race against Platner has become one of the most watched of the midterm cycle as top Democrats, including progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has endorsed the controversial candidate.

Platner is pushing a more populist economic agenda, targeting corporate interests and representing the working class during his campaign.

Collins, who is running for a sixth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, remains locked in a neck-and-neck battle with Platner in left-leaning Maine, despite his resurgence of controversy.

“There’s been a lot of controversy. He often denies himself to be contradicted by others who say what he’s told,” Collins told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum on “The Story.”

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The Democratic Alliance candidate who was looking to unseat Sen. Susan Collins in Maine admitted to having sex with multiple women after marrying his wife two years ago, according to a report. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

“To me, one of the most shocking things is his mocking of a Purple Heart recipient who was injured by the Taliban, lying on the battlefield, and making fun of this person. And another example, his treatment of women in general, and his opposition to law enforcement. On all those issues, we couldn’t be more different.”

In response to these scandals, Platner opened up about his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder from his four tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

She said he “has been open about the darkest period of my life when I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, frequently self-medicated with alcohol, and was far from the perfect boyfriend.”

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Collins, who is a Republican, has revealed whether he believes Platner’s controversies disqualify him from running.

Graham Platner speaks to the crowd at his viewing party after winning the Democratic nomination for the US Senate at the YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, June 9, 2026. Platner will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the election for the seat. (Matthew Symons of Fox News Digital)

“I would have said at a different time that any of these people were unfit to be a candidate to serve our country and the state of Maine in the United States Senate, whether they are a Democrat or a Republican,” the senator said.

When Platner gave his acceptance speech during the first school term, he accused Collins of being “as stupid and corrupt as the institution he now serves.”

Collins argued that states don’t want someone who makes an “angry speech” representing them in Washington and said their senator should have the right “character.”

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“Ultimately, this comes down to whether you want someone who will go to Washington, make angry speeches every day, but do nothing, compared to my service to the people of Maine, where I have delivered real results for the people of Maine,” Collins said.

“I believe that the people of Maine want stable leadership,” he continued. “They want to be independent, and they want someone who cares a lot about the state and our country and who has the personality to serve him.”