Senate Republicans are warning that scandal-plagued oysterman Graham Platner could still defeat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, if the party fails to take the race seriously.

Republicans are defending several seats in expectedly close races, including Nebraska, Iowa, North Carolina, Ohio and Texas, while seeking to flip Georgia. Maine is different: Sen. Susan Collins’ seat is the only Republican-held Senate seat in a state won by Kamala Harris in 2024, making it Democrats’ most direct path to returning Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., to the majority leader’s office, Republicans said in a memo circulated Wednesday.

«It is a fatal mistake to assume Platner is too damaged to win,» the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) memo obtained by Fox News — addressed to «Interested Parties» — read.

The NRSC agreed that Maine is the «linchpin» of the 35 seats up this year and that despite Platner’s Nazi tattoo, allegations of misogynist violence, arousal from biocide in port-a-johns, and his socialist policy platform, he remains a credible threat to the middle-of-the-road Collins.

SEE IT: MAINE VOTERS SOUND OFF ON PLATNER’S DIVISIVE CAMPAIGN AS CRUCIAL PRIMARY NEARS: ‘HE’S A DISGRACE’

«Senator Collins has won tough races before and can win this one, but only if we meet this moment with total urgency,» the NRSC said.

«Because Democrats cannot win the majority without [Collins’ seat], they have fully rallied around Graham Platner, an extremely flawed, far-left candidate who secured the nomination last night. Platner has captured his party’s financial backing, outraising Senator Collins in every quarter since entering the race. We must match both the energy and the money to retain the seat,» the memo said.

The NRSC said Democrats don’t view Platner’s race as being about the flawed candidate but rather about usurping power.

COLLINS SECURES GOP NOD IN MAINE SENATE BATTLE THAT COULD DECIDE GOP MAJORITY

The committee said any one of Platner’s multiple scandals would have ended most campaigns, but Democrats remain united around him. The NRSC reported that after former girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield’s allegations against Platner broke, Platner raised $200,000 in one day in what the campaign said was its best haul of the cycle.

«The political fundamentals in Maine remain challenging, and it is a fatal mistake to assume Platner is too damaged to win,» the NRSC said.

Collins is the last remaining federal Republican in New England and the only Republican in the Senate north or east of Pennsylvania.

The NRSC reported that Platner is beating Harris’ own margins by seven points while noting Collins has won tough races in the past, but this one is different.

Collins won her last race against former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon by about eight points, and her last electoral loss was way back in 1994 when now-Sen. Angus King Jr., I-Maine, won the governorship in a four-way contest.

Republicans said in the memo that the biggest story in the past week about Platner is not his latest scandal, but the fact that Democrats are circling the wagons around him even more tightly and «propping him up.»

WATCH: DEM SENATORS EXCUSE PLATNER’S CONDUCT AT CRISIS HUDDLE WITH EMBATTLED MAINE CANDIDATE

Graham Platner addresses the crowd at his watch party after winning the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate at a YMCA in Blue Hill, Maine, on June 9, 2026. Platner will face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the election for the seat. (Matthew Symons for Fox News Digital)

They cited Silicon Valley Rep. Ro Khanna visiting Maine to hold a gushy interview-slash-ad with Platner and the fact that Democrats keep claiming Collins and Trump are worse than the left-winger.

«Gotta do what you gotta do,» the NRSC quoted former Biden deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty, while noting that Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse publicly claimed Platner’s foibles are a «lot of nothing.»

They also pointed to one of the most influential Democratic operatives claiming that Platner’s flaws actually bolster his qualifications.

Platner had disparaged former Pennsylvania lieutenant gubernatorial candidate Teddy Daniels after video of the Purple Heart recipient being besieged and gravely wounded by the Taliban surfaced several years ago.

«We’ve got a f—ed up guy who could be 100 times more f—ed up than he is and he’d never be as f—ed up as what we’ve got in Washington,» said 1992 Bill Clinton campaign architect James Carville, who suggested that Platner’s apparent PTSD should be a symbol on the Hill as to why neoconservatives have been wrong about war powers.

«This is not a party abandoning its nominee. This is a party rationalizing, accepting, and preparing to fight,» the NRSC said.

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«Republicans need to match that urgency immediately. Define Platner. Defend Collins. Resource Maine,» they said. «Senator Collins has proven time and time again, through her work ethic and commitment to the people of Maine and America, that she will prevail.»

«This race can be won, but it will not win itself.»

NRSC national press secretary Bernadette Breslin exclusively told Fox News Digital that Platner «has become the new face of the Democratic Party, forcing Democrats to own his mounting scandals and socialist wish list.»

«Come November, Mainers will see through his fraudulent working-class persona and reject the political baggage Democrats are now stuck defending,» Breslin said.

Fox News Digital reached out to the DSCC, Platner campaign and Collins campaign for further comment.

En el contexto de la alerta internacional declarada por la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) debido a la amenaza del ébola, el Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora (AILA) en Guatemala fortaleció sus acciones preventivas para enfrentar eventuales riesgos sanitarios. Así lo anunció este miércoles la Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil de Guatemala (DGAC).

Al mismo tiempo, la decisión se tomó tras una reunión de coordinación interinstitucional celebrada en la terminal aérea, en la que participaron representantes de los equipos operativos y administrativos del aeropuerto. El encuentro tuvo como objetivo analizar los procedimientos actuales y definir nuevas estrategias para responder de manera efectiva a la advertencia global emitida por la OMS.

Durante la reunión, los responsables de AILA revisaron los protocolos de actuación vigentes y acordaron ajustes tendientes a optimizar la detección temprana de posibles casos. Uno de los principales acuerdos establece que el personal encargado de los controles sanitarios profundizará la vigilancia utilizando las seis cámaras termográficas instaladas en las áreas de ingreso.

Los pasajeros que sean detectados con temperaturas superiores a los 37 °C (98,6 °F) serán sometidos a entrevistas y evaluaciones médicas detalladas para descartar cualquier riesgo de contagio.

Según lo informado por las autoridades, el refuerzo de estas acciones responde a la necesidad de garantizar la protección de los pasajeros, empleados y visitantes, así como la de mantener la operatividad de la terminal conforme a los estándares internacionales de bioseguridad. La coordinación entre distintas instituciones presentes en el aeropuerto se intensificará para asegurar la correcta aplicación de los procedimientos establecidos en materia de salud y seguridad, acorde con los lineamientos internacionales y las recomendaciones específicas de la Organización Mundial de la Salud.

El personal recibió instrucciones precisas sobre cómo actuar ante la detección de síntomas sospechosos. Las entrevistas a los pasajeros identificados con fiebre o malestar serán realizadas por equipos médicos debidamente capacitados, siguiendo un protocolo de aislamiento y evaluación clínica.

Además, el personal de AILA reforzará los controles de higiene en áreas comunes, incrementando la frecuencia de limpieza y desinfección de superficies de contacto frecuente, como pasamanos, mostradores, baños y salas de espera.

La OMS recomienda a las autoridades de fronteras y terminales aéreas adoptar medidas de control y vigilancia epidemiológica en respuesta a la alerta internacional. El Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora reiteró su compromiso de seguir las directrices internacionales y colaborar con los organismos nacionales, regionales y globales responsables del control sanitario. Las autoridades continuarán monitoreando la situación y evaluarán la necesidad de ajustar las acciones preventivas en función de la evolución de la alerta y las recomendaciones oficiales.

De igual manera, por tercer día consecutivo, representantes de la Administración de Seguridad en el Transporte de los Estados Unidos (TSA) continúan desarrollando recorridos y evaluaciones junto al equipo de Seguridad Aeroportuaria (AVSEC) del Aeropuerto Internacional La Aurora.

Durante la jornada se realizaron verificaciones en el círculo aéreo y en punto de ingreso a rampa, donde también se sostuvo una reunión con personal de aerolíneas para la revisión de registros operacionales.

Two top Democrat leaders who were hesitant to endorse embattled Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner by name amid his controversies finally relented Tuesday night after he cruised to victory in his primary election.

House Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., issued a seemingly half-hearted joint statement backing Platner as he continues to face heat stemming from a multitude of scandals.

«Over the past year, we have created a path to win a Democratic Senate majority and put a stop to the chaos and damage of the Trump administration by defeating the Republicans who enable his harmful agenda,» they wrote in a statement issued by the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) just after Platner was declared the winner.

«In November, Maine voters will elect Graham Platner, and we will win a Senate majority,» they concluded.

In the statement, the New York lawmakers attempted to paint moderate Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, as a radical pro-Trump Republican despite her several breaks with the president.

«Susan Collins has never been more vulnerable after she voted with Trump 96 percent of the time, confirmed his far-right judicial nominees, and took millions from special interests while voting to rip health care away from Mainers,» they listed.

SCANDAL-PLAGUED PLATNER CAPTURES DEMOCRATIC SENATE NOMINATION

Last week, Platner met with Gillibrand and Schumer, among other Democrats, during a crisis trip to Washington, D.C., in the midst of his latest scandal, which, at the time, was related to revelations of an account on a controversial messaging app. 

After that meeting, Gillibrand refused to say whether she still supported the progressive candidate.

«I’m very confident we are going to win Maine,» she told reporters. «I do. I have confidence that we are going to win Maine and I have no doubt.»

Senate Minority Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks during a news conference following a weekly policy luncheon with Senate Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on June 2, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WATCH: DEM SENATORS EXCUSE PLATNER’S CONDUCT AT CRISIS HUDDLE WITH EMBATTLED MAINE CANDIDATE

Schumer also attempted to duck direct questions from reporters at a Capitol Hill press conference following that meeting.

«I met with Graham Platner today, we’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate,» he said. «We’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.»

After he was asked for the fifth time about the meetings, he begrudgingly used Platner’s name to back the candidate.

WATCH: SCANDAL-PLAGUED PLATNER DODGES QUESTIONS BEFORE DC MEETING WITH DEMOCRATS

«As I said, I endorsed Graham Platner,» he said.

Before that meeting, Platner was embroiled in controversy after it was revealed that he has an active account on Kik, an anonymous chatting platform notorious for lax identification methods that have enabled the proliferation of child sexual abuse material.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., leaves the Senate Democrats lunch in the Mansfield Room at the Capitol on March 15, 2023. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)

Platner used as his profile image on the application a sexually suggestive photo of himself shirtless and wearing only a towel around his waist.

Just days after the meetings in D.C., the candidate was accused of physical misconduct, including aggressive behavior, with a former romantic partner. Platner denies those accusations.

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Platner’s previous scandals include sexually lewd Reddit posts, disrespectful comments made against a Purple Heart-winning combat veteran, a Nazi-linked tattoo on his chest that has since been covered up and reports he exchanged sexually explicit messages with several women while married.

Fox News Digital’s Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.