The controversies surrounding Maine progressive upstart Graham Platner are resurfacing difficult conversations among Democrats about who gives them the best chance to recapture the House and Senate.
For his part, Platner — a Maine oyster farmer and Democrat running for the seat held by Republican Sen. Susan Collins — vowed to push forward. But the challenges confronting his young candidacy point to a major debate within the Democratic Party: whether to embrace untested candidates like Platner who are fueling real excitement among the progressive base, or someone like Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a moderate and a popular two-term governor.
Platner presents himself as an authentic outsider fighting for working people. But as the last couple of weeks demonstrate, sometimes political newcomers can make risky political candidates.
“Democrats have a long history of rushing to the altar with candidates they should probably just be dating,” said Bill Curry, a veteran strategist who twice was the Democratic nominee for governor of Connecticut and served as an advisor to President Bill Clinton. He cited candidates like now-Sen. John Fetterman and candidate Beto O’Rourke, who ran unsuccessfully for Senate in Texas. Both candidates ended up disappointing Democrats down the line, Curry said.
Platner launched his campaign in August with an impressive bang, raising millions of dollars while capturing the support of progressives, who continue to flock to his rallies. Then, things got complicated.
Old social media posts from 2009 to 2021 came to light, in which Platner refers to himself as a “communist;” trashes white rural Americans as “racist and stupid;” and downplays concerns about sexual assault in the military, among other troubling statements. Then came the revelation that Platner has a skull and crossbones widely recognized as a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest.
Suddenly, Platner went from working class hero offering Democrats hope to a besieged candidate delivering apologies.
“I’m sorry that people had to read things that I wrote on the internet from a point in my life where I was in a dark place and believed nonsense,” Platner told supporters Sunday on a Zoom call.
A veteran of the US Marines and the Army National Guard, Platner saw combat during multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. He said he obtained the tattoo 18 years ago with fellow Marines while on leave in Croatia, but said he never recognized it as a Nazi symbol. He recently got a cover up tattoo over the skull and crossbones symbol.
The Reddit posts, he said, came from a time in his life when he was struggling with PTSD and deep feelings of alienation. He said he’s a different person today, and appealed to his supporters to grant everyone the right to evolve.
The following day, he told hundreds of Mainers, who packed a gym in the midcoast town of Damariscottathat he wasn’t giving up.
“As my name gets dragged through the mud, as I get accused of being things I am not and never have been, I have to remind myself that I have no right to quit,” he said to applause.
Despite the recent headwinds, Platner’s Senate bid “is moving full speed ahead,” according to a spokesperson for his campaign, who texted a statement to WBUR.
“We continue to see massive support from people in Maine,” according to the statement, which said more than 700 people showed up in Damariscotta.
That same day, Mills, Platner’s main Democratic rival in the Senate primary, tried to turn his troubles to her advantage.
“I obviously vehemently disagree with the things he’s been quoted as saying and doing,” said Mills, who called Platner’s tattoo “abhorrent.”
Maine’s Senate race is probably the Democrats’ best chance to flip a red seat blue. Polls suggest long-time Republican incumbent Susan Collins is vulnerable. But some Democrats say Platner should not be their standard bearer, given the baggage he’s now carrying.
“I think it’s a liability and we should have high standards for United States Senators, and one of them is you don’t have a Nazi tattoo on your body,” Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss told WCVBadding that Platner should drop out of the race.
But other prominent Democrats are standing by him, including senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Sanders said it’s clear that Platner went through a “dark time,” but called him “a brilliant guy and a strong fighter for the working class,” sentiments shared by Platner’s supporters in Maine.
“He is the only guy who has electrified Maine voters,” said Valli Geiger, a Democratic state representative from Rockland who backs Platner.
Valli, a nurse who has worked with veterans recovering from PTSD, said Platner deserves grace and credit for working despite his trauma — and for the campaign he’s running. She said Platner is speaking on behalf of people who are “struggling to pay their rent” and who are “desperate for change.”
“He is telling people what they know to be true,” Valli said. “He is offering hope.”
Her message to other candidates: “Wake up.”
Valli regards Mills as a member of the establishment who won’t advocate as forcefully for the working class. But other Democrats, including those who support Mills, push back and say the thing about establishment candidates is that they’ve been vetted and — unlike Platner — they have a record of winning.
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