Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, addressed her closely-watched race against Democratic candidate Graham Platner, calling him the ‘antithesis’ of the steady leadership she has provided Maine.

Controversies Surrounding Platner

Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer, has spent much of his campaign on the defensive as multiple scandals have rocked his candidacy, including a chest tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol and abuse allegations from former girlfriends.

Collins, who is running for a sixth six-year term in the U.S. Senate, remains in a tight race with Platner in left-leaning Maine, despite his resurfaced controversies.

‘There have been numerous controversies. He often denies them only to be contradicted by others who say what he told them,’ Collins told Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum on ‘The Story.’ ‘To me, one of the most appalling is his making fun of a Purple Heart recipient who had been wounded by the Taliban, lying on the war field, and he ridicules this individual. And another example, it’s his treatment of women in general, and also his opposition to law enforcement. On all those issues, we could not be more different.’

In response to the scandals, Platner has opened up about his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder from his four tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

‘I would have said in a different time that any one of these would have been disqualifying for someone to be a candidate to serve our country and the state of Maine in the United States Senate, whether they were Democrat or Republican,’ the senator said.

Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.