Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks to voters at a town hall at the Elks Lodge 188 on June 7, 2026, in Portland, Maine. (Laura Brett / Getty Images)
By Samuel Short June 16, 2026 at 5:46am
If Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner stays in the race, the next five months are going to be excruciating.
Platner, as many will recall, first garnered national attention for his Totenkopf tattoo — a symbol used by Nazi Germany’s Schutzstaffel, the perpetrators of the Holocaust.
That alone should be disqualifying and universally condemned, but Democrats have taken another route, ironically — after years of casting Republicans and President Donald Trump as Nazis — supporting his candidacy.
The New York Post gave an update, adding to Platner’s troubles, on Saturday from his account on social media platform Reddit. In May 2012, he posted about a young woman who tried to take her own life, apparently due to her cousin dying. A photo was included, showing her dangling out of the window with a man holding onto her, clearly trying to save her life.
Platner, through his username “P-Hustle,” wrote, “Someone clearly isn’t trying hard enough.”
Graham Platner once mocked teen’s suicide attempt in Reddit posts https://t.co/6aR4TCfk7V pic.twitter.com/7BMhBmlwIj
— New York Post (@nypost) June 13, 2026
Sure, the post was from over a decade ago, but for Platner, these moments keep adding up.
He only covered his Nazi tattoo in October 2025, according to the Associated Press reporting. At the time he claimed he only recently discovered its meaning.
The New York Post put out an exclusive in which an ex-girlfriend told a very different story, alleging Platner’s explanation for getting it was as a reminder “the US was the evil bad guy overseas.”
A New York Times exclusive from earlier this month included details from past relationships in which Platner allegedly stated about potential home intruders, “If anybody ever broke in here, I would r**e them.”
Last month, information came out about his marriage, detailing how Platner — who is married — would send sexually charged text messages to other women.
Democrats are so desperate for a masculine figure to emerge on the national scene that this is what they’re going with.
He might not be frail and aged like former President Joe Biden or confused in believing he’s a woman like Delaware Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride, but this is not the star player that is going to help this party salvage its image.
Aside from embracing their deranged message, what redeemable qualities does Platner possess?
He’s not particularly well-spoken.
He lacks charisma.
He’s in the news cycle for all the wrong reasons. His scandals are so vast they’re becoming difficult to keep up with.
Again, it cannot be overstated: After years of lambasting Republicans as Nazis, Democrats have chosen — at best — an actual Nazi sympathizer as a candidate.
Their tribal, hyperpartisan message is so paramount, they will bring in just about anyone who opposes Trump.
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Sam Short is an Assistant Professor of History with Motlow State Community College in Smyrna, Tennessee. He holds a BA in History from Middle Tennessee State University and an MA in History from University College London. The views expressed in his articles are his own and do not reflect the views or opinions of Motlow State Community College.
