Democrats have rolled the dice in Maine as they pursue a post-Trump future. Will it work?

It was over the moment he received the endorsement of Maine’s most famous resident: Stephen King, the master of horror, who announced on Tuesday that he voted for Graham Platner.

More than 100,000 Democrats in Maine agreed, making Platner, a marine veteran and oyster farmer, their nominee for the US Senate against Republican incumbent Susan Collins in November.

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© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

Marine veteran won 72% of the vote despite infidelity and abuse allegations that emerged during primary campaign

• Platner shrugs off scandals to win Maine Democratic Senate primary

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Donald Trump said Iran has taken “too long” to agree to a deal “that would have been great for them” and will now “have to pay the price”.

In a post on Truth Social early this morning, which came after the US and Iran exchanged fire on Tuesday, Trump wrote:

Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore - They have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them, now they will have to pay the price!!!

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© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

Graham Platner’s primary victory in Maine sets up a high-stakes contest between an insurgent progressive with political baggage and a battle-tested but vulnerable Republican senator.

© Sophie Park for The New York Times

The battle for control of the United States Senate begins in Maine. If Democrats want to take the upper house from Republicans in the upcoming November 3 midterm election, they cannot lose in this northeastern state, famous for its lobster industry and for producing the writer Stephen King. Republican Senator Susan Collins, who has sometimes been critical of President Donald Trump, is running for re-election and polls place her in a weak position. Graham Platner, a political newcomer, seemed like the right man for the job—until criticism from at least three women he had relationships with, as well as new details about a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he got years ago, began to cast doubt on his suitability. Despite these shadows, Platner won the Democratic primary this Tuesday, making him the official Senate candidate for the midterms.

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Outcome of polls in four states offers mixed signals about direction of two major parties before November’s midterms

Progressives rallied round the controversial Graham Platner after his primary victory in Maine on Tuesday, while Donald Trump again exerted his grip on the Republican party, helping to defeat a politician who had pushed for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Primary elections were held in four states – Maine, Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina – ahead of November’s midterms to decide control of both houses of Congress. The results offered mixed signals about the direction of the two major parties.

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© Photograph: CJ Gunther/Getty Images

© Photograph: CJ Gunther/Getty Images

© Photograph: CJ Gunther/Getty Images

Graham Platner won the Democratic primary for Senate in Maine and quickly turned his populist message against Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent.

© Sophie Park for The New York Times

La batalla por el control del Senado de Estados Unidos empieza en Maine. Si los demócratas quieren arrebatar a los republicanos la Cámara alta tras las elecciones del próximo 3 de noviembre, no pueden perder en este Estado del noreste, famoso por su producción de langosta y por haber dado al mundo al escritor Stephen King. Aquí se presenta a la reelección la republicana Susan Collins, en ocasiones crítica con el presidente Donald Trump, y a la que las encuestas colocan en una situación de debilidad. Graham Platner, un recién llegado a la política, parecía el hombre adecuado para ello. Hasta que las críticas de al menos tres mujeres con las que tuvo relaciones y nuevos detalles sobre un tatuaje nazi que se hizo hace años empezaron a alumbrar dudas sobre su idoneidad. Pese a estas sombras, Platner ha logrado este martes ganar las primarias demócratas, según las proyecciones de medios como CNN, AP y The New York Times, lo que lo convierte oficialmente en candidato a senador para las elecciones de medio mandato.

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Platner, whose campaign was hit by series of negative headlines, to face Susan Collins in key midterm contest

Graham Platner, a Marine veteran, oyster farmer and progressive activist, has scaled a mountain of personal controversies to win the Democratic nomination for the US Senate in Maine.

His victory on Tuesday caps a remarkable rise for a candidate who has never held elected office and whose campaign was shadowed by negative headlines that might have ended a more conventional political career.

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© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

Republicans and Democrats in Nevada, North Dakota and South Carolina select their nominees on Tuesday, but much of the nation's political focus will be on Maine. Democrat Graham Platner is expected to emerge from the primary to take on five-term incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins. But Platner has faced one scandal after another during the campaign. Geoff Bennett discussed more with Alex Seitz-Wald.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) on Tuesday said Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner should win his primary on Tuesday and then get off the ballot so that Democrats can replace him with a stronger candidate in the fall. Platner is expected to win Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Senate. He would then face Sen. Susan Collins…

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) on Tuesday said Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner should win his primary on Tuesday and then get off the ballot so that Democrats can replace him with a stronger candidate in the fall. Platner is expected to win Tuesday’s Democratic primary for Senate. He would then face Sen. Susan Collins…

The Senate race in Maine is a chance to do away with inconsistent standards applied according to political bias.

© Penn Chan for The New York Times

Oysterman and marine veteran favored to win Democratic primary amid a string of controversies

Voters are headed to the polls on Tuesday for primary elections that include a crucial Senate race involving the scandal-haunted Graham Platner.

In Maine, Platner is favored to win the Democratic primary after his main opponent, former governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign. Incumbent senator Susan Collins remains safely at the top of the Republican ticket – just slightly behind newcomer Platner’s lead in polling.

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© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

© Photograph: Robert F Bukaty/AP

Voters across Maine, Nevada, South Carolina and North Dakota head to the polls Tuesday for another day of primary elections in America, but much of the political world will be focused on Maine's high-stakes U.S. Senate contest.

Graham Platner is seeking to make a Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate official in advance of one of the most anticipated contests of the year.

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Vice-president JD Vance has added a chicken coop to his residence at the US Naval Observatory, the Daily Wire reports, along with a dozen baby chicks whose new henhouse is designed to look like the Victorian home where the second family lives.

The coop was built without taxpayer money, a person familiar with the project told the Associated Press. The residence hosted a family event over the weekend where local 4-H students taught other kids about the newly installed coup, the person said.

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© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock

Plus, “I’m busy, but you can talk to my A.I. twin.”

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Any indication of tepid support for Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, will be seen as a warning sign about his chances against Senator Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent.

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Voters in Maine, Nevada, South Carolina, and North Dakota will head to the polls this Tuesday, June 9, to participate in another round of primary elections. The elections will determine the candidates for the Senate, the House of Representatives, governorships, and dozens of state and local offices that will be up for grabs in November.

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© J. Scott Applewhite (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

All eyes on US Senate race as Graham Platner, embroiled in controversy, is set to advance as Democratic nominee

Voters in Maine head to the polls on Tuesday for one of the most closely watched primary elections in the country. The US Senate race has become a national fixation as Democrats try to unseat a longtime Republican with a political newcomer who has spent months under fire.

Graham Platner, 41, is set to advance as the Democratic nominee for the Senate, after his primary rival – the state’s two-term governor, Janet Mills – suspended her campaign in April. The primary result will likely set up a months-long run-up between Platner, an oysterman and marine veteran with a groundswell of popularity and a mounting list of scandals, and Susan Collins, a 73-year-old Republican senator who has held the seat for nearly three decades.

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© Photograph: Amanda Sabga/Reuters

© Photograph: Amanda Sabga/Reuters

© Photograph: Amanda Sabga/Reuters