A Democratic candidate seeking to flip a Republican Senate seat in Maine is now under scrutiny for a series of offensive online posts that have recently surfaced. While veteran Graham Platner has apologized and sought to explain the messages, he has vowed to stay in the race, dividing Democrats who saw him as their best hope of winning a Senate seat in Maine.
Don’t ‘judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet’
Platner, a military veteran running as a Democrat to represent Maine as a U.S. senator, has apologized after various media outlets reported on offensive posts he made on the site Reddit between 2013 and 2021, which seem to approve of political violence, downplay sexual assault in the military and more. Platner, a veteran of the Army and the Marines, claims in a video posted on social media that the posts were made during a period after leaving the military in which he “still had the crude humor, the dark, dark feelings, the offensive language that really was a hallmark of the infantry when I was in it.” In the video, Platner apologizes for the posts, saying, “I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am.” He adds, “I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today.”
Comments on violence, rape, police, Trump supporters and more
The objectionable comments made by Platner on Reddit covered a variety of topics. Platner appeared to endorse political violence in some exchanges. Responding to another user’s post about purchasing an AR-15, Platner wrote that the user should tell a skeptical roommate that “if they expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle, they ought to do some reading of history.” In a 2021 post about police, Platner wrote, “Bastards. Cops are bastards. All of them, in fact.” When another Reddit user posted in 2020, “White people aren’t as racist or stupid as Trump thinks,” Platner responded, “Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you they actually are.” He also posted at one point, “I got older and became a communist,” and wrote on another occasion that he was “a vegetable-growing, psychedelics-taking, socialist these days.” In other posts, Platner downplayed sexual assault allegations within the military, writing at one point that people should “take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f**ked up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?” Platner, referencing past work as a bartender, asked at one point, “Why don’t Black people tip?”
Mixed response from supporters
The controversy comes as Platner had been viewed by many as the best chance for Democrats to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has held her seat for nearly 30 years. Prominent Democratic figures such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have supported Platner over Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, who is also running for the Senate seat. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin has continued to support Platner while criticizing his past comments. “I don’t think they’re disqualifying, but certainly they’re not right,” Martin said on CNN. “And I’m glad that he apologized for them. They’re indefensible, they’re hurtful and they’re offensive.” However, Platner’s political director, Genevieve McDonald, resigned from his campaign over the Reddit posts. “While I am empathetic to Graham’s experiences and respect his personal journey and growth, I cannot overlook the volume and nature of his past comments, many of which were made as an adult, not as a young man,” McDonald wrote in a statement explaining her decision.
New ‘Nazi’ tattoo controversy
Even as Platner attempts to tone down the uproar over his posts, he has responded to a new controversy over a skull and crossbones tattoo he has that resembles a symbol used by Nazi police. Platner, whose campaign posted a video of him dancing shirtless, claims he got the tattoo during a drunken outing with fellow officers. He claims he never knew that the symbol had Nazi links until recently, saying that his tattoos had been scrutinized by the military and never raised any objections. Platner has pledged to have the tattoo removed. Platner’s former campaign manager questioned the denial. “Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means,” McDonald posted on Facebook. And a former associate claimed that Platner once jokingly referred to the tattoo as “my Totenkopf,” referencing the German term that the Nazis used for the symbol.
For now, Platner is attempting to explain his controversial statements and decisions and weather the political fallout. As more politicians take the heat for offensive statements coming to light, it remains to be seen whether or not Maine voters will accept Platner’s explanations and choose him to represent them in the U.S. Senate.