Platner controversies put Democrats in a political bind

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s mounting controversies are testing the willingness of Democratic voters and politicians to support a compromised candidate who could be their best option to defeat Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) next year.

Platner has been hit with a string of negative headlines in recent days. Most notable was the revelation that he got a tattoo of a Nazi symbol on his chest, which he has subsequently covered up, along with numerous controversial statements he made in the past on Reddit.

Many of his supporters, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), are standing by him for now. And recent polling has suggested Platner is far more popular than Gov. Janet Mills, his top Democratic rival, raising the question of whether voters will overlook his baggage as the party seeks a new generation of leaders who could appeal to a broader demographic.

“I think Donald Trump has changed our politics for a long time, some for the good and some for the bad,” Rocha told The Hill. “One thing for the good, in my opinion, he’s done is proven that folks don’t have to be perfect. They can have some rough edges and that America is pretty forgiving.” 

But other Democrats say they’re not willing to be forgiving of Platner. 

“I do not understand how we can go from having a subset of the party that is obsessed with calling Donald Trump a Nazi to then going to vast lengths to excuse a Nazi tattoo," said one unnamed Democratic strategist. 

Platner’s allies say it’s not fair to compare his tattoo to what they argue is Trump’s authoritarian style of governing. 

“There is a huge difference between a Republican that supports Trump’s gestapo-like tactics, sweeping people off the street with no due process and shipping them to El Salvador and [someone] who has a Nazi symbol associated with themselves,” said Adam Green, co-founder of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. 

“One is somebody confirming a whole ideology that they actually believe in and in Graham Platner’s case, it’s an unfortunate bump in the road,” he added. 

Last week, CNN’s KFile reviewed posts that Platner once wrote on Reddit in 2020 and 2021 in which he criticized police officers, showed frustration and disillusionment about his time serving in the military and spoke about being a “communist” and a “socialist.”

And earlier this week, the LGBTQ news magazine The Advocate published past Reddit posts from Platner, which he originally posted under the handle P-Hustle, from 2016-21, in which he used vulgar, antigay slurs and used the word “gay” as an insult.

The latest, and what some Democrats say is the most damning controversy, is over a tattoo resembling a Totenkopf, which is German for “death’s head.” The image was a symbol adopted by Adolf Hitler’s troops in Nazi Germany. 

Platner has apologized for the Reddit posts, saying there was “no reason to deny” the antigay Reddit posts and called them “indefensible.” Platner also said he has covered up the tattoo and said he did not realize it resembled a Nazi symbol until he heard from reporters in Washington. 

Platner’s supporters argue that candidates such as him are an answer to growing calls for generational change within the party. Democrats have grappled with the issue of age over the past year, following former President Biden’s decision to not run for reelection amid concerns over his mental acuity and fitness for office. Additionally, three House Democrats in their 70s died while in office this year alone. 

On top of that, they point to the party’s desire to appeal to more working class voters, a demographic Democrats lost ground with in last year’s presidential elections. 

“We’re living in an outsider moment. There is a craving for those who are not creatures of the political system,” Green argued. “Somebody who makes a mistake, admits it, and moves onto fighting for working people is more favorable to most people than a 77-year-old governor who is perceived as a Chuck Schumer-endorsed creature of the inside.” 

The unnamed Democratic strategist hit back at this argument, noting that the anti-establishment, progressive wing of the party is risking alienating minority voters. 

“Yes, we are looking for fresh, young, new, interesting voices in the Democratic Party but those voices cannot come with Nazi tattoos,” the unnamed strategist said. “They have a longstanding history of not having any full-throated minority support.” 

Democrats also say they fear the controversies plaguing Platner will ultimately serve as fuel for Collins and her Republican allies. 

“This matters next October when Republicans are putting money behind it in paid media,” said a second unnamed Democratic strategist. “If you’re honestly serious about beating Susan Collins, and you now have these headlines that exist and you know that Republicans are going to pour as much money as humanly possible to helping Sen. Collins [get] reelected, then you should think twice about whether or not you’re going to give them the opportunity to put money behind some of these headlines.” 

The Platner controversies comes as scandal plagues another statewide candidate in Virginia less than two weeks away from Election Day. Democratic attorney general candidate Jay Jones has faced fierce pushback from Republicans over recently unearthed texts he sent in 2022 in which he openly talked about shooting the GOP former state House Speaker and suggested he wished the Speaker’s wife could see her children die so her husband would reconsider his political views on gun violence.

The scandal has created a massive headache for Democrats in an election where the environment is arguably more favorable to their party. 

“We have to vet candidates. We are in a rebuild period. These are the candidates that are going to represent the party going forward,” said the first unnamed Democratic strategist. 

New England-based Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh noted that there is also a risk after an unvetted candidate wins a general election. 

“There’s the cost benefit analysis of making someone the nominee and then if they do prevail, what are they going to be like when they’re in office?” Marsh said. 

A third unnamed national Democratic strategist urged Washington’s consulting class and Democratic leadership to step back and let the voters decide. 

“Look at what it’s done in New York? You’ve made a mountain out of a molehill here,” the strategist said, noting the divide between establishment and anti-establishment Democrats over the New York City mayoral race. 

The strategist urged the national Democratic class to remember that different candidates are better fits among certain constituencies. 

“What works in Maine is not going to work in Michigan or Wisconsin,” the strategist said. 

And for now, Platner enjoys good standing for Maine’s Democratic voters. 

Polling conducted just before the Reddit posts and tattoo news has shown enthusiasm for Platner among Maine’s Democratic base. 

A University New Hampshire Survey Center poll conducted between Oct. 16 and 21 found Platner leading Mills 58 to 24 percent among Maine Democratic primary voters. Another 14 percent said they were undecided and two percent said they would back other candidates. The poll’s margin of error among Democratic primary voters was plus or minus 4.3 percent. 

And recent internal polling commissioned by the National Republican Senatorial Committee suggests that the party’s voters are sticking with him despite the controversies. 

Platner leads with 46 percent support among Democratic primary voters, while Mills trails at 25 percent. Jordan Wood, another Democratic candidate, garnered three percent in the poll and 26 percent said they were undecided. 

But there are also Maine Democrats who are condemning Platner and flocking to Mills. On Friday, Daira Smith-Rodriguez dropped out the race and endorsed Mills, citing past comments Platner made about military rape. 

“As a survivor of military sexual assault, I cannot, in good conscience, indicate support or remain silent if there is even a possibility that someone who questions the reality of this crisis could be elevated to the United States Senate,” she said in a statement.