2026-06-09T21:27:00-0400 / 哥伦比亚广播公司新闻
华盛顿讯 — 民主党人格雷厄姆·普拉特纳与共和党参议员苏珊·柯林斯将在11月的选举中展开对决，这场选举可能决定明年哪个政党掌控参议院。而近期一系列针对普拉特纳的指控打乱了这场选战节奏。
哥伦比亚广播公司新闻预测，普拉特纳在周二晚间的民主党初选中以微弱优势胜出。柯林斯在共和党初选中则无对手。
此次初选结果使得这场对决成为民主党夺回参议院控制权的关键一役。民主党长期以来一直试图推翻已连任五届的共和党议员柯林斯，自1997年进入参议院以来，她已在多次激烈的连任竞选中华身。这位73岁的参议员作为拨款委员会主席拥有举足轻重的权力，以经常与本党立场相悖而闻名，是共和党团中最具独立意识的议员之一。但她的民主党对手竞选期间直指这一记录，称对缅因州而言，“象征性的反对”远远不够。
作为一名41岁的退伍军人兼牡蛎养殖户，普拉特纳去年宣布参选后，在缅因州民主党人中支持率迅速攀升，他将自己定位为一名工薪阶层、反建制的候选人，重点抨击“亿万富翁阶层”。他很快获得了佛蒙特州参议员伯尼·桑德斯等进步派领军人物的支持，随后马萨诸塞州参议员伊丽莎白·沃伦也表态支持。
但普拉特纳踏入政坛的同时，也揭开了一系列指控和争议。在周二初选前夕，相关指控愈演愈烈。
初选前几日，《华尔街日报》报道称，普拉特纳的妻子曾告知其竞选团队，他在2023年两人婚后不久就向其他女性发送了露骨的色情短信。随后，《纽约时报》报道了普拉特纳对约会对象行为“令人不安”的指控，其中包括一起他实施身体虐待的指控。普拉特纳否认存在身体虐待行为，并暗示这些指控带有政治动机。
这些指控曝出之际，缅因州州长珍妮特·米尔斯于4月退出竞选，普拉特纳基本锁定了提名。这位78岁的州长是参议院少数党领袖查克·舒默招募的候选人，获得了全国民主党人的支持。但米尔斯在民调和筹款方面均无法追上普拉特纳，令持怀疑态度的温和派别无选择，只能转而支持普拉特纳。
尽管米尔斯已暂停竞选，但她的名字仍出现在周二的选票上。
上周被多次问及在面临这些指控的情况下仍支持普拉特纳时，舒默对记者表示：“我们将击败苏珊·柯林斯，夺回参议院。”
面对这些指控，普拉特纳在国会的支持者大多为他辩护。桑德斯告诉记者，人们应该“担忧美国工薪家庭的处境”，而非纠结普拉特纳的私生活。加利福尼亚州民主党众议员罗·卡纳在《与媒体见面》节目中表示，应当承认普拉特纳的行为是“厌女的”且“错误的”。但卡纳随后表示，注意力应转向“继续前进并寻求救赎”，并聚焦普拉特纳竞选期间提出的议题。
在此前最新的指控曝出前，普拉特纳的竞选活动已出现过几起个人争议。他曾为自己多年前在网上发表的诸多有问题的言论道歉，并遮盖了自己在海军服役期间纹的、被广泛认为是纳粹标志的纹身。
初选前夜，普拉特纳的前政治主任珍妮维芙·麦克唐纳发表了一篇专栏文章，称他不应该成为美国参议员，还告诉缅因州民主党人，他们“不必接受”他作为对抗柯林斯的唯一候选人。麦克唐纳去年秋天因普拉特纳的相关帖子引发动荡而退出竞选，她暗示普拉特纳可以在初选后退出，让缅因州民主党人另选候选人。
根据缅因州选举法，如果候选人在7月第二个周一下午5点前退出，其提名资格可被替换，届时各政党将有两周时间选出新的候选人。
在周二晚间的胜选演讲中，普拉特纳表示：“我一生中犯过错误——那些我感到后悔、铭记于心并不断从中学习的错误。我仍远非完美，但每天醒来，我都努力比前一天做得更好、更友善。”
距离选举还有五个月，这场竞选预计将是本届选举周期中竞争最激烈的席位之一。柯林斯是唯一一位在副总统卡玛拉·哈里斯2024年获胜的州寻求连任的共和党参议员。《库克政治报告》将这场选战评级为“势均力敌”。
目前参议院共和党控制53个席位，民主党需要翻转四个席位，并在多场势均力敌的选举中捍卫现任议员席位，才能夺回参议院多数党地位——这是一场艰难的战斗，没有缅因州的席位，他们几乎不可能完成目标。
Graham Platner projected to win Maine Democratic Senate primary, setting up race against GOP Sen. Susan Collins
2026-06-09T21:27:00-0400 / CBS News
Washington — Democrat Graham Platner and GOP Sen. Susan Collins will face off in a November contest that could determine which party controls the Senate next year, a race that was shaken up in recent weeks by a spate of allegations against Platner.
Platner won the Democratic primary on Tuesday night after facing minimal opposition, CBS News projects. Collins was unopposed in the Republican primary.
The primaries set up a race that could be key to Democrats’ hopes of winning control of the Senate. Democrats have long been trying to oust Collins, a five-term GOP senator who’s survived a handful of tough reelection fights since coming to the Senate in 1997. The 73-year-old, who wields significant power as chair of the Appropriations Committee, is known for regularly breaking with her party and is among the most independent-minded in the GOP conference. But her Democratic opponent has campaigned against that record, saying for Maine, “symbolic opposition” isn’t enough.
Platner, a 41-year-old veteran and oyster farmer, had seen surging support among Democrats in Maine when he jumped in the race last year, billing himself as a working class, anti-establishment candidate with a focus on opposing the “billionaire class.” He quickly gained support from leading progressives like Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and later, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
But Platner’s introduction on the political scene also unearthed a series of allegations and controversies. And in the lead up to Tuesday’s primary, the allegations ramped up.
In the days ahead of the primary, The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife told his campaign that he sent sexually explicit text messages to other women soon after the couple were married in 2023. Then, The New York Times reported on allegations of Platner’s “unsettling” behavior toward women he dated, including one claim that he was physically abusive. Platner has denied that he was physically abusive and suggested that the allegations are politically motivated.
The allegations came after Platner effectively locked up the nomination when Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race in April. The 78-year-old governor was recruited by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and had the backing of national Democrats. But Mills was unable to catch up to Platner in the polls or fundraising efforts, leaving skeptical moderates no choice but to fall behind Platner.
Although she suspended her campaign, Mills’ name was still on the ballot on Tuesday.
Schumer, asked repeatedly about his support for Platner amid the allegations last week, told reporters that “we’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”
Platner’s supporters in Congress have largely come to his defense in light of the allegations. Sanders told reporters that instead of worrying about Platner’s personal life, people should “worry about what’s happening to the working families in this country.” Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California said on “Face the Nation” that there should be acknowledgement that Platner’s actions were “misogynistic” and “wrong.” Then, Khanna said the attention should be on “moving on with redemption” and a focus on the issues on which Platner has campaigned.
The most recent allegations followed a handful of other personal controversies that have punctuated Platner’s campaign. He’s apologized for a number of problematic internet comments he made years ago and covered up a tattoo he got during his time in the Marines that is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol.
On the eve of the primary, Platner’s former political director, Genevieve McDonald, wrote an op-ed arguing that he shouldn’t be a U.S. senator, telling Maine Democrats that they “don’t have to accept” him as the sole choice to take on Collins. McDonald, who exited the campaign amid upheaval over Platner’s posts last fall, suggested that Platner could withdraw after the primary and allow for Maine Democrats to select a different nominee.
Maine election law dictates that a nominee can be replaced if they withdraw before 5 p.m. on the second Monday in July, at which point a political party would have two weeks to select a new nominee.
In an acceptance speech Tuesday evening, Platner said: “I’ve made mistakes in my life — mistakes that I regret, that I live with and that I continue to learn from. I’m still far from perfect, but every day, I wake up and I try to be a little bit better and a little bit kinder than I was the day before.”
Five months out, the race is expected to be one of the most competitive this cycle. Collins is the only Republican seeking reelection in the Senate in a state that Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024. The Cook Political Report rates the race a toss up.
With 53 seats controlled by Republicans in the upper chamber, Democrats would need to flip four seats and defend a handful of incumbents in tight races to win back the Senate, making the task an uphill battle — and one they likely can’t do without Maine.
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