Maine Democrat Senate hopeful faces backlash over Nazi-associated tattoo

 October 22, 2025

Hold onto your hats, folks -- Graham Platner, a Democrat contender for a U.S. Senate seat in Maine, has stumbled into a firestorm over a nearly two-decade-old tattoo tied to Nazi imagery, as the New York Post reports.

Platner, a Marine veteran vying for the Democratic Party nomination against Maine Gov. Janet Mills, finds himself under scrutiny for a skull tattoo resembling the infamous “Totenkopf” symbol used by Hitler’s SS, alongside resurfaced inflammatory online posts from his past.

Let’s rewind to 2007, when Platner, by his own admission, got “very inebriated” while stationed in Croatia as a Marine and decided to ink himself with what he now claims was a reckless, uninformed choice.

Unpacking the tattoo controversy

“We got very inebriated, and we did what Marines on liberty do, and we decided to go get a tattoo,” Platner said. Well, that’s one way to explain a decision that’s come back to haunt him -- though one wonders why it took opposition research to clue him in on the symbol’s dark history.

Platner insists he had no idea the tattoo mirrored a Nazi emblem until reporters and political insiders started buzzing about it. He even served in the Army National Guard without the ink raising red flags, despite Army rules banning extremist or racist tattoos.

Now, after the backlash, he’s scrambling to get the tattoo removed, claiming ignorance isn’t just an excuse -- it’s his reality. A little late for damage control, perhaps, when the symbol’s meaning is hardly obscure.

Past posts add fuel to fire

But wait, there’s more -- Platner’s old Reddit rants have surfaced, filled with derogatory jabs at police, rural white Americans, and even insensitive remarks about sexual assault survivors. These aren’t just youthful indiscretions; they paint a picture of deep-seated anger that’s hard to square with a Senate hopeful.

His former campaign director, Genevieve McDonald, didn’t stick around to defend him, resigning after these posts came to light. She wasn’t buying the ignorance defense on the tattoo either, sharply noting, “Maybe he didn’t know it when he got it, but he got it years ago, and he should have had it covered up because he knows damn well what it means.”

Ouch -- that’s a gut punch from someone who once had his back. It raises the question: How does a candidate miss the memo on optics for nearly 20 years?

Platner’s regret, attempt at redemption

Platner isn’t dodging responsibility entirely, expressing regret for his online tirades and linking them to mental health struggles and disillusionment after his military service. It’s a humanizing angle, sure, but voters might wonder if personal turmoil excuses public venom.

He also has Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in his corner, a surprising lifeline given the progressive push for ideological purity these days. One has to ponder whether Sanders’ support is a nod to second chances or just political calculus.

The tattoo removal plan is a start, but it’s tough to unsee a symbol so loaded with history. Platner’s insistence that he’s not hiding extremist views might ring hollow when the ink’s been on his chest for nearly two decades.

Navigating a political minefield

This controversy isn’t just a personal misstep -- it’s a case study in how past choices can torpedo a political career in an era where nothing stays buried. Platner’s facing an uphill battle to convince Maine voters he has moved beyond these lapses.

While his military service deserves respect, and mental health struggles warrant empathy, the combination of a Nazi-linked tattoo and toxic online history is a tough sell for any candidate, let alone one challenging a sitting governor.

The Democratic Party base might forgive, but forgetting is another matter entirely.

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