The Democrats really thought they had a winner in Graham Platner. He was going to be their candidate in the Maine Senate primary race, and he was going to solve their masculinity image problems in one fell swoop.

In less than a week, Platner has become radioactive, and yet the Democrats are still trying to make fetch happen. This all began when CNN’s Andrew Kaczynski committed an act of journalism and dug up Reddit posts that Platner had made between 2012 and 2021, where he said a lot of things that would definitely be a liability when running for office. And yes, this is the first time that he’s run for office.

In some of the Reddit posts, Platner referred to himself as a “communist,” writing, “I got older and became a communist.”

He also referred to himself as “a vegetable-growing, psychedelics-taking, socialist these days,” adding: “After the war, I’ve pretty much stopped believing in any of the patriotic nonsense that got me there in the first place, and am a firm believer that the best thing a person can do is help their neighbors and live a loving life.”

In another Reddit post from 2021, Platner repeated a phrase that was popular with left-wing demonstrators who protested against policy brutality following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis in 2020.

“Bastards. Cops are bastards. All of them, in fact,” Platner wrote.

In 2020, Platner on Reddit responded to another user who claimed that “White people aren’t as racist or stupid as Trump thinks.”

“Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you they actually are,” the future Senate candidate wrote back.

In other posts from 2013 reviewed by NBC News, Platner also minimized challenges faced by military members in reporting sexual assault and encouraged people not to use substances in order to avoid being raped.

“In today’s current climate, when every whisper of a misplaced hand brings down a feature length film, anyone who actually thinks the military is purposefully covering up rape to save the career of some god damn [captain], is clearly both an idiot and junior enough in rank or life experience to think it matters,” Platner posted at the time.

In the comment section of another post titled “shorts that prevent you from being raped,” Platner urged people to “take some responsibility for themselves” and “not get so f—-d up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.”

“You make a choice to consume enough of a substance to lose your self control. So if you don’t want to be in a comprising situation, act like an adult for f—s sake,” Platner wrote. “Rape is a real thing, if you’re so worried about it to buy Kevlar underwear you’d think you might not get blacked out f—-d up around people you aren’t comfortable with.”

These revelations were enough to get Platner on camera apologizing and claiming that he had changed.

“I know I said stupid stuff and I’m not happy about that,” Platner said. “I know I used words that are like, things that I would never say today. But I was also very much in a place where I wasn’t really thinking through. I certainly wasn’t intending on ever running for U.S. Senate.”

He said the comments were made out of frustration and as an attempt to get a rise out of people online.

“I was just trying to find an outlet,” he added. “And I don’t know how to say this without sounding really stupid, but getting in dumb internet fights was an outlet.”

The Democrats tried claiming that Platner was just young and stupid when he made those comments, so they shouldn’t be a problem now. But the math doesn’t add up. He is currently 40 or 41 years old (his birth year is listed as 1984, his official biography says he graduated from high school in 2003). That means he was at least 29 in 2013, and at least 35 when making comments in 2020. Not exactly a young and stupid “youth,” but what do you expect from Democrats who claimed that Hunter Biden was just a wayward and helpless child well into his 50’s?

Platner’s political director then quit, which presaged more to come. And oh boy, did it.

You can see the tattoo here. The skull tattooed on Platner’s chest doesn’t look like the one we’re used to seeing on a Jolly Roger pirate flag, or the cover of a Guns and Roses album, or Skeletor from He-Man. It doesn’t look like a Day of the Dead skull, or the Crystal Skull, or… pic.twitter.com/YskjUR5QYC

— Jim Geraghty (@jimgeraghty) October 22, 2025

Oh myyyyyyy. Never fear, the Democrats are here! The “Pod Save America” Obama Bros swung into action to defend their new shiny toy that has a Nazi tattoo.

Platner revealed on Monday’s episode that he got a tattoo resembling a Totenkopf—a skull and crossbones associated with Nazi Germany and white supremacists—in Croatia in 2007 while serving in the Marines. He claims to have been unaware of its symbolism, though associates have refuted that claim, with one saying Platner “knows damn well” what the ink means.

Vietor described Platner’s tattoo as “opposition research,” asking the Senate candidate a series of softball questions.

“I’ve been told that some of your political opponents are telling reporters that that tattoo has a Nazi affiliation,” said Vietor, a former van driver for the 2008 Obama campaign. “And I would like to know: Is that accurate, and are you a secret Nazi?”

“I am not a secret Nazi,” Platner replied. “Actually, if you read through my Reddit comments, you can pretty much figure out where I stand on Nazism.”

Vietor went on to describe Platner as a “normal guy” who wants to “make the country a better place.”

NEW: Graham Platner reacts to recently resurfaced video of him singing shirtless at a wedding and an opposition research attack alleging he's a "secret nazi." Full interview out now on the Pod Save America YouTube. pic.twitter.com/r8GEePCPLP

— Pod Save America (@PodSaveAmerica) October 21, 2025

Remember, Democrats had a freakout over Pete Hegseth’s Jerusalem cross tattoo, but it’s totally okay that Graham Platner has a literal Nazi death’s head tattooed on him. Even Bernie Sanders is defending him!

One of Platner’s strongest supporters on the Hill was not wavering on him on Tuesday. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who rallied with Platner in Maine last month and has endorsed his campaign, defended the oysterman when asked about the tattoo on Tuesday.

“Look, I understand this whole platoon — I don’t know too much about it — got inebriated,” Sanders said. “He went through a dark period. He’s not the only one in America who has gone through a dark period. People go through that, he has apologized for the stupid remarks, the hurtful remarks that he made, and I’m confident that he’s going to run a great campaign and that he’s going to win.”

Bernie even had a full out conniption fit to reporters, demanding that Platner get a pass because he’s a combat veteran. You know who isn’t giving Platner a pass? His former political director, who posted about how angry she was about this.

Genevieve McDonald, Platner’s former campaign director, who resigned last week, suggested Tuesday that the candidate must have known about the image’s origins.

“Graham has an antisemitic tattoo on his chest. He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff,” she wrote in a post on Facebook. “Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means.”

McDonald, a former state representative, blamed the “D.C. consultant class” for the public relations disaster that could cost Democrats the Senate election. “The vault is open for the GOP to crush any fucking dreams we had in the general,” she wrote.

Meanwhile, Platner was busy getting that tattoo covered up. Maybe with something meaningful? Apparently not.

Somehow the tattooist did a worse job covering this up than the journalists have https://t.co/52ZbS7bTY3

— Magills (@magills_) October 22, 2025

The words “rush job” come to mind. Yikes.

So who is left for the Democrats in this Senate race? Governor Janet Mills, who is term-limited out as Maine’s governor, has declared her candidacy for the Senate primary. However, Mills is 77, and Senator Susan Collins, who currently holds the seat for the Republicans, is 72. The Democrats clearly wanted the younger Platner to win the primary, in order to make age an issue for the general election. But that election won’t even happen until November 2026. And who knows what other tattoos or skeletons may be hiding in Graham Platner’s closet. But that magical “D” after his name is acting as a protective shield for the Democrats and the media (but I repeat myself). One only has to remember their freakout over Hegseth to point out the flaming hypocrisy – but good luck expecting the Democrats to have any sense of shame.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click