Democrats thought they found their working-class hero to flip Maine.
Instead, they got a walking disaster.
And Bernie Sanders has a big problem after a photo proved he backed a Nazi-tatted Democrat Senate candidate.
Bernie’s golden boy just torched the Democrat Senate strategy
Graham Platner was supposed to be the fresh face Democrats needed. The 41-year-old Marine veteran turned oyster farmer launched his Senate campaign in August with big dreams of unseating Republican Susan Collins. Bernie Sanders loved him. Progressive groups poured money into his campaign. He raised over $4 million in his first months and held more than 20 town halls across Maine.¹
Then the bottom fell out.
CNN uncovered deleted Reddit posts where Platner called himself a "communist" and declared all cops "bastards."² He dismissed sexual assault victims in the military and made crude remarks about Black diners and rural white Americans.³ His political director resigned within days.⁴
But the Nazi tattoo on his chest? That’s what really stopped Democrats cold.
The Totenkopf tattoo Democrats can’t explain away
Platner appeared shirtless in a video at his brother’s wedding, revealing a skull and crossbones tattoo that the Anti-Defamation League immediately recognized as a Nazi Totenkopf symbol.⁵ The same symbol worn by Hitler’s SS units responsible for murdering millions of Jews during World War II.⁶
His explanation? He got drunk in Croatia in 2007 with fellow Marines and picked it off the wall.⁷
"I am not a secret Nazi," Platner told Pod Save America.⁸
Except a former acquaintance says Platner specifically called it "my Totenkopf" back in 2012.⁹ Using the exact German terminology. For 13 years before launching his campaign.
Platner scrambled to get it covered up Tuesday after the story exploded. He lifted his shirt for local TV cameras to show a Celtic knot design with dogs because "my wife Amy and I have two wonderful dogs that we love a lot."¹⁰
You can’t write satire better than that.
The Socialist Rifle Association connection gets even worse
But Platner’s Nazi tattoo turned out to be the least radioactive thing about him.
The Daily Wire reported that Platner was a member of the Socialist Rifle Association, a radical left-wing gun group whose members have been linked to violent attacks.¹¹ On July 4, militants from the group allegedly attacked an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas, opening fire on unarmed correctional officers.¹² One suspect, Benjamin Hanil Song, is charged with shooting a police officer in the neck.¹³
Last week, the Department of Justice charged two other suspects in that attack with providing material support to terrorists, calling their crew an "Antifa Cell."¹⁴ It marked the first use of terrorism statutes against domestic extremists since President Trump designated Antifa as a terrorist organization following the Charlie Kirk assassination.¹⁵
Reddit posts show Platner didn’t just post in Socialist Rifle Association forums. He actively recruited members and provided firearms training to the Maine chapter.¹⁶ "Check out the Maine SRA chapter, we’re quite active," he wrote in April 2020.¹⁷ Two months later, he bragged about teaching a "defensive handgun course" to the group.¹⁸
Platner also posted in October 2020 that he wore an "antifa supersoldier" label on his "armor."¹⁹ In 2018, he wrote that people who "expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle, they ought to do some reading of history."²⁰
His campaign now claims these were just "dumb jokes" from a Reddit "shitposter."²¹
Nobody’s laughing.
Chuck Schumer steps in to save Democrats from themselves
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer watched this trainwreck unfold and made his move. He publicly endorsed Maine Governor Janet Mills on Tuesday, calling her "the best candidate to retire Susan Collins."²²
Mills, 77, entered the race last week after Schumer personally urged her to run.²³ She’s termed out as governor and would be the oldest freshman senator in American history if elected.²⁴
But compared to Platner, she looks like the safe choice.
Bernie Sanders is sticking with his guy. "This is a guy who served four terms in combat," Sanders said Tuesday.²⁵ He called it "disappointing" when Schumer backed Mills instead.²⁶
Platner’s campaign fired back at Schumer’s endorsement as "the establishment backing the establishment."²⁷
Here’s what’s wild. A University of New Hampshire poll taken October 16-21 showed Platner crushing Mills 58% to 24% among likely Democratic primary voters.²⁸ The survey was conducted after his Reddit posts surfaced but before the Nazi tattoo story broke and before he admitted to training Antifa-linked militants.
Democrats are now stuck defending a candidate with a Nazi tattoo who trained members of a terrorist-linked organization. Or watching their progressive base revolt if they force him out.
The working-class fraud gets exposed
Platner built his entire campaign around being a scrappy working-class oyster farmer fighting the establishment.
The Washington Free Beacon reported Wednesday that Platner attended the elite Hotchkiss School in Connecticut.²⁹ Annual tuition runs upwards of $75,000.³⁰ Alumni include Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart, former CIA Director Porter Goss, and news anchor Chris Wallace.³¹
His father is a prominent Maine attorney.³² His grandfather was the architect who designed the Ford Foundation headquarters.³³ The New York Times described his works as "enduring icons of 1960s Modernism."³⁴
So much for working-class authenticity.
This is what happens when Democrats elevate candidates based on identity politics and progressive credentials instead of actual vetting. Platner checked all the right boxes for the Bernie wing of the party. Marine veteran. Working-class background. Anti-establishment rhetoric. Progressive positions.
Nobody bothered to ask about the Nazi tattoo or the terrorist training sessions.
Collins must be thrilled. Democrats are about to waste millions of dollars on a primary where their choices are a 77-year-old establishment politician or a Nazi tattoo-sporting Antifa trainer who lies about his privileged background.
Maine voters deserve better than this circus.
¹ Jewish Insider, "Graham Platner says ‘I am not a secret Nazi’ after photos of his tattoo emerge," October 21, 2025. ² CNN Politics, "’I got older and became a communist’: Deleted posts show Maine Senate hopeful’s raw views on politics, war, and police," October 16, 2025. ³ Ibid. ⁴ Ibid. ⁵ Fortune, "Maine oyster farmer running for Senate tries to explain Marine tattoo that appears to be a Nazi SS ‘Totenkopf’ symbol," October 22, 2025. ⁶ Ibid. ⁷ Ibid. ⁸ Axios, "Graham Platner, Maine Senate candidate, responds to Nazi tattoo allegations," October 21, 2025. ⁹ Jewish Insider, "Graham Platner says ‘I am not a secret Nazi’ after photos of his tattoo emerge," October 21, 2025. ¹⁰ ABC News, "Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner says he covered up tattoo that resembled Nazi symbol," October 22, 2025. ¹¹ Daily Wire, "Maine Dem Graham Platner Belonged To Socialist Group Linked To ICE Attack, Tesla Bombings," October 23, 2025. ¹² Ibid. ¹³ Ibid. ¹⁴ Ibid. ¹⁵ Ibid. ¹⁶ Robinson Report, "Ex-Marine Graham Platner Taught Military Tactics, Recruited for Socialist Paramilitary Group in Maine," October 22, 2025. ¹⁷ Ibid. ¹⁸ Ibid. ¹⁹ Axios, "Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner embraced ‘antifa supersoldier’ label," October 21, 2025. ²⁰ Ibid. ²¹ Ibid. ²² The Hill, "Charles Schumer backs Mills in Maine Senate race, pitting him against Bernie Sanders," October 23, 2025. ²³ NBC News, "Maine Gov. Janet Mills launches Senate run against one of Democrats’ top 2026 targets," October 15, 2025. ²⁴ ABC News, "Maine Gov. Janet Mills enters Senate race after sparring with Trump administration," October 15, 2025. ²⁵ NBC News, "Senate Democrats tread lightly on Maine primary as new poll shows Graham Platner leading Janet Mills," October 24, 2025. ²⁶ Fox News, "Maine Gov Janet Mills announces 2026 Senate bid to challenge Susan Collins," October 15, 2025. ²⁷ The Hill, "Charles Schumer backs Mills in Maine Senate race, pitting him against Bernie Sanders," October 23, 2025. ²⁸ NBC News, "Senate Democrats tread lightly on Maine primary as new poll shows Graham Platner leading Janet Mills," October 24, 2025. ²⁹ Washington Free Beacon, "’Working Class’ Graham Platner Attended Elite $75K a Year Prep School Known for Famous Government Alumni," October 24, 2025. ³⁰ Ibid. ³¹ Ibid. ³² Ibid. ³³ Ibid. ³⁴ Ibid.
