(NEW YORK) -- Maine voters will decide on Tuesday whether oyster farmer Graham Platner will be the Democratic Party's nominee to take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills is also on the Democratic Senate primary ballot on Tuesday, as is former Maryland state official David Costello. However, Mills suspended her campaign in late April citing financial resources, and a University of New Hampshire poll published recently found that Costello "is largely unknown."

Platner has been fighting controversies throughout his campaign, ranging from him once getting a tattoo accused of resembling a Nazi symbol to allegations published by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal claiming he sent sexually explicit texts to women.

And last Thursday, the Times reported that some of the Army veteran's former girlfriends said that his actions could be "intimidating and disturbing."

Platner did not deny the allegations that he sent sexually explicit texts, saying that his wife "went through something hard -- because of me."

In a statement after the Times' story was published last Thursday, Platner said, "Throughout this campaign, I've been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend," "I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better. Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated."

Platner previously covered up the controversial tattoo, saying at the time that it came up "because the establishment is trying to throw everything it can at me. It is terrified of what we are trying to build here."

During a rally in Bar Harbor, Maine, on Friday -- one day after the Times' most recent story, Platner said that "every single piece" of his past and journey is being "dug up, litigated and weaponized."

Also after the Times' latest report, Platner told ABC affiliate WMTW that "I'm very happy to talk about incredibly uncomfortable things in my life, but when things come along that are just made up or lies, I'm very much going to push back against those."

Throughout the campaign cycle, polling has found that most likely primary voters view Platner positively. The University of New Hampshire poll, which published shortly before the most recent reports on Platner, found that 76% of likely voters planned on ranking Platner, a progressive who has focused on wealth inequality, first on their ballots, which have ranked choice voting.

Given Maine's system of ranked choice voting and having local municipalities -- not the state government -- be responsible for counting the ballots on election night, it remains unclear how long it will take for each race to be called.

What voters are saying

Portland, Maine, voter Tyler Stoddard told ABC News that he supports Platner, explaining that he feels that people are focusing too much on personal matters.

"I think that he's going to break the Republican majority in the Senate, and I think that will help stop Donald Trump," Stoddard said.

Yarmouth, Maine, resident Janet Marstine told ABC News that she voted early for Mills.

"I don't trust the frontrunner in the Democratic Party. He has too many secrets, and we don't even know the depth of them," Marstine said, adding that Mills "knows Maine more than any other leader, really, in this state."

Affordability in 'Vacationland' top of mind

The Senate race is far from the only one on the largely ranked choice ballot in Maine on Tuesday.

In a state that describes itself as "Vacationland" on its license plates, affordability is top of mind, with many candidates including the issue in their campaign materials.

The gubernatorial primaries along with the Democratic primary in the 2nd Congressional District are expected to be particularly competitive.

Sitting Democratic Rep. Jared Golden is not running for reelection in the geographically sizable 2nd Congressional District.

With control of the House up for grabs this November, Democrats like Joe Baldacci, Matt Dunlap and Jordan Wood want to keep the seat blue while former Republican Gov. Paul LePage is seeking to make it red.

Baldacci has the backing of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, while Dunlap has aligned himself with Platner. Prior to Katie Porter's unsuccessful run for California governor, Wood served as her congressional chief of staff.

In the governor's race, the Democrats running include former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree. Jackson, Bellows and Pingree previously announced they will rank each other on their ballots.

Candidates seeking the Republican nomination include former Naval Intelligence Officer Bobby Charles, businessman Ben Midgley, former Maine Senate Majority Leader Garrett Mason and former Athenahealth CEO Jonathan Bush, who is former President George W. Bush's cousin.

In Maine, voters who do not belong to either major party are allowed to choose to vote in one party's primary when they show up to vote.

Early voting in Maine concluded last Thursday. Voters who did not cast their ballots early have until 8 p.m. to vote on Tuesday.

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