Graham Platner has received a wave of both praise and criticism in recent weeks. The U.S. Senate candidate from Maine continues to garner support from at least one particular demographic: veterans groups. Platner officially became the Democratic Party candidate on Tuesday evening after comfortably defeating Gov. Janet Mills, whose campaign was suspended in April due to a lack of fundraising though she remained on the ballot. The Associated Press called the race as 8% of the votes were counted, when Platner had earned 75% of the vote. NBC News later reported that Platner garnered roughly 149,800 votes, or 72%, compared to the 40,100 votes (19%) Mills received. The primary victory means that Platner will officially square off this November against incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who was first elected in 1996 and ran unopposed in her primary. It's a major test for Platner, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and oyster farmer who has seemingly sprung from nowhere to pose a formidable challenge in what is expected to be a very tight election. "Until recently, I thought that harbormaster would be the height of my political career," Platner told supporters after his victory. "It now appears that things have changed."