Story perspectives

Platton, Paxton Win Primaries as Voters Choose Lesser Evil

6/9/2026

Summary

Story summary

Graham Platton, a Democrat, won Maine’s primary; Ken Paxton, a Republican, won Texas’s Republican Senate primary.
Two-thirds of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll say they must vote for the lesser of two evils; 17% of voters familiar with the candidates said the controversies would deter them.
Platton, an oyster farmer, apologized for his Nazi-style tattoo, covered it with a design, and denied that past sexual-message allegations affect his campaign.

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Story summary

Graham Platton, a Democrat, won Maine’s primary; Ken Paxton, a Republican, won Texas’s Republican Senate primary.
Two-thirds of respondents in a Reuters/Ipsos poll say they must vote for the lesser of two evils; 17% of voters familiar with the candidates said the controversies would deter them.
Platton, an oyster farmer, apologized for his Nazi-style tattoo, covered it with a design, and denied that past sexual-message allegations affect his campaign.