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Graham Platner has already received more primary votes than any other Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Maine history.
Platner has received more than 150,000 votes in Tuesday’s primary so far, according to data compiled by the Associated Press. An analysis of state election data show that’s more than any of his predecessors going back to 1918 — the first year Maine began electing U.S. senators by popular vote.
His vote share was also significantly more than all eight of the Republican candidates running for governor combined as of Thursday, with more than 90% of the votes counted. The GOP primary turnout was the highest it’s been since 1994.
An analysis of early absentee data also suggests the combat veteran and oyster farmer may have benefited from the state’s second use of semi-open primaries, which allows unenrolled voters to participate in the parties’ nomination contests.
More than 18,000 unenrolled voters cast absentee ballots as of Tuesday afternoon, of whom 75% voted in the Democratic primary.
So far, Platner has won every town in Maine except three, Hersey, Moose River and Weston, which went to Gov. Janet Mills.
This story appears through a media partnership with Maine Public.