Graham Platner, a progressive oyster farmer and political newcomer whose campaign has been wrought with controversies, will face off this fall against Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine, Decision Desk HQ projects. 

Collins, who is seeking a sixth term, was unchallenged on Tuesday, while Platner easily advanced from the Democratic primary despite questions about whether he’s become a liability for the party in the must-win race.

Democrats are eyeing a rare pickup opportunity in the Pine Tree State, where Collins has held onto her Senate seat despite its blue leanings. It’s one of just a handful of races in the upper chamber considered toss-ups this cycle, and it could be pivotal to Democrats’ hopes of taking back the Senate in the midterms. 

Platner’s campaign, however, has faced growing scrutiny that sparked Democratic anxieties about his candidacy ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

The New York Times published a report last week in which previous romantic partners suggested his behavior was toxic, while he has drawn criticism for months about a now-covered up tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol and a series of since-deleted offensive Reddit posts. He also came under fire over reports that he sent sexually explicit text messages to women while married.

Platner vehemently denied “anything alleging physicality” and “anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was” in remarks to MS NOW about the Times’s reporting. He also said he’s “not once” considered dropping out of the race. 

A UMass Lowell/YouGov poll released last week, but taken before the most recent sexting scandal and Times reporting, found Platner with 48 percent support from Maine voters in a hypothetical general election, 5 points ahead of Collins’s 43 percent with another 6 percent undecided. 

Another late May survey from the University of New Hampshire found Platner up 9 percentage points over Collins, with 51 percent and 42 percent, respectively. 

An internal from the Platner campaign released last week by Public Policy Polling, found Platner with a 4 point lead over Collins, though analyst Nate Silver said the results are “not super reassuring given that internal polls typically exaggerate their candidate’s standing by 4 points or so.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) was also on the Democratic ballot Tuesday, after starting the cycle as Democratic leadership’s favorite to take on Collins this fall.

The outgoing governor, however, suspended her bid back in April after struggling for traction in polls and fundraising against Platner.