Democrat with Nazi Tattoo Wins Handily—and Is Running for the Senate

No time? blue News summarizes for you

• In the U.S. state of Maine, Graham Platner has won the Democratic primary and aims to unseat Susan Collins in the midterm elections.
• Platner has been embroiled in a series of scandals: a Nazi tattoo, outrageous online comments, and lewd text messages to women.
• Platner attributes his behavior, among other things, to PTSD following deployments in combat zones—and despite his scandals, he has a good chance of becoming Maine’s new senator.

Summary created with

The Democratic primary in the state of Maine on June 9 is a clear-cut affair. The third-place finisher, Davi Costello, received 5.61 percent. Janet Mills received 18.42 percent. Graham Platner clearly won the race with nearly 76 percent.

This is quite remarkable, as the 41-year-old is not a typical Democrat. Not because the oyster farmer spent several years in the Marine Corps and participated in missions in Iran and Afghanistan. It is other events in his life that make people sit up and take notice.

In his 2003 school yearbook, Graham Platner was voted, along with a classmate, into the category “Most Likely to Start a Revolution.”

Platner holds up a sign: “Freedom for Kosovo, Chechnya, Kashmir, Palestine, Kurdistan, Tibet.”

The classmate holds up a sign: “Don’t listen to him.”

Graham Platner in his school yearbook from 2003.

Image: Bangor Public Library

During his campaign, comments come to light that Platner posted on the Reddit platform between 2013 and 2021.

Sometimes he calls himself a “communist,” sometimes he writes that all cops are bastards—and sometimes he says that anyone afraid of being raped should take more responsibility for themselves and not get so high that they have sex with someone when they don’t want to.

Platner publicly apologizes in October 2025: In a video posted on X, the veteran distances himself from his earlier statements and explains that he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at the time, following his deployments abroad.

Platner had a skull tattooed on his right chest. Not like the one in “Pirates of the Caribbean,” but one like the ones used by the SS during the Third Reich.

Platner explains himself again in a video: He had the tattoo done in Split, Croatia, during a shore leave with comrades, he says: “I noticed that it bears a strong resemblance to a symbol used by neo-Nazis, and I want to emphasize that that was absolutely not my intention.”

Platner shows his chest: He had the tattoo covered up. However, there are statements from three old companions who claim that Platner knew very well what he was getting on his chest.

“CBS News” follows up in April 2026: Does Platner also intend to attribute the tattoo misstep to PTSD? “I have never placed the entire blame for the views I held earlier in my life solely on post-traumatic stress,” the Democrat replies. “When I left the military, I came from a hypermasculine and hyperviolent [institution].”

The infantry has a “crude sense of humor” and a “narrow view on many issues”: That shaped his opinions. However, a shift occurred when he returned to civilian life. “Many of these beliefs and thoughts—and even the language—have changed significantly over time.”

The fact that Platner is only having the tattoo removed in October after 18 years remains a valid point of criticism for some commentators, however.

Platner is accused of sending lewd text messages to several women after his marriage to Amy Gertner in 2023. Gertner addresses this scandal in a video. She says she is “angry” and “disappointed” that this story is now making the rounds.

During the campaign, Genevieve McDonald, who works for Platner, asks his wife Amy Gertner if her husband has any skeletons in the closet that his team needs to know about. Gertner tells McDonald about the text messages to other women, which subsequently become public.

It’s not easy to be newly married when you can’t have the children you want and then a political campaign comes on top of that, Gertner says. But they are now attending marriage counseling—and both spouses have a therapist. “No marriage is perfect. I don’t want a perfect marriage; I want my marriage.”

“At the beginning of our marriage, I made mistakes, and Amy held me accountable for them, and we worked through them together,” says Platner when Chriy Hayes brings up the topic on “MS Now.” “And that work has significantly strengthened our marriage.”

Why Platner still has a chance

How is it that Platner is winning three-quarters of the Democratic vote despite this history? “I didn’t exactly behave well. I was very, very open about it,” the oyster fisherman says on “MS Now.” “That was before I became a public figure.” But he is always willing to talk about that time when things weren’t going so well for him.

“I’ve been all over the state [of Maine]. I’ve held over 80 town hall meetings. And I answer questions from [people in Maine], no matter what they’re about. I’ve made myself very accessible to people. And I want them to know about my struggles. My journey is one of change.”

Despite the scandals, political heavyweights like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are standing by Platner. The latter told “CBS News” that Republicans have already raised $99 million to defeat the Democrat.

“Why is that?” asks Sanders. “Are they worried about his views or about how he treated women? I don’t think so.” The 84-year-old credits Platner for owning up to his mistakes: “If you look at politics in general, there are no saints in the U.S. Senate.”