Maine Gov. Janet Mills has dropped out, which means the oyster man with Nazi tattoos, Graham Platner, is now set to challenge Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in November. The Platner camp was already preparing for the general election, as their poll numbers were solid. However, Platner’s Nazi tattoos are just one of many issues with his candidacy. The worst part is how Democrats are so indifferent about it—literally accepting a narrative that says ‘he’s a Nazi, but not that bad of a Nazi’ when referring to this guy.
Chris Murphy on Elon: He did a Heil Hitler salute. This may be the most dangerous moment in modern American political history.
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) May 1, 2026
Chris Murphy on Platner, who has a Nazi tattoo: He just seems like a human being who made a mistake. Plus he’s polling really well.
The Democrat… pic.twitter.com/v9v1nxhcqv
The Graham Platner tattoo controversy is not about youthful mistakes. It is about the specificity of the Totenkopf. This is not the widely recognized swastika, it is the specific insignia of the SS units that ran the Nazi death camps. This is the symbol of the executioners. This…
— Lucythegreat (@lucythegreat123) May 3, 2026
I think if one is trying to figure out if a candidate is sympathetic to Nazis, one of the most important tests is whether the candidate knowingly got a death’s head tattoo signifying an elite, brutal group of SS officers and kept it until the second he wanted to run for Senate… https://t.co/vRjQAQ2kIF
— Mary Katharine Ham (@mkhammer) May 3, 2026
The National Republican Senatorial Committee’s Sarah Gallagher shared a relevant clip from HBO’s Succession where the character Tom Wambsgans, played by Matthew Macfadyen, is vetting a news anchor who might have neo-Nazi sympathies. Yes, this is pretty much how the Democrats vetted their candidates for the Maine showdown.
Democrats vetting their Senate nominee in Maine pic.twitter.com/kElCMSUL7G
— Sarah Gallagher (@sgallz_) May 3, 2026
Over at 2Way, Mark Halperin teases that the opposition research on Platner is so devastating, he’d have to leave the state. Our own Larry O’Connor was also featured in this segment (via RCP):
The NRSC says they're going to go so negative on Platner," Halperin said. "I saw one of the spokespeople say he'll have to leave the state. He won't just lose the race, he'll have to leave Maine."
Halperin predicted the timing will be strategic: "I assume the RNC will drop some oppo on the eve of the first debate, like that afternoon."
"And reporters, Susan Collins, and whoever is moderating will say: 'Mr. Platner, you wrote, said, or did this thing.' Will Platner just say, I was young and irresponsible?"
Co-host Kevin Walling suggested Platner say: "I just returned from war, I was 22, 23, and these don't reflect my values now."
"That's an insult to the men and women who wear the uniform to say, Well, I was in combat. What about all the Marines that came back from combat who didn't do or say all of the things that this guy did?" co-host Larry O'Connor added.
Platner was caught with a Nazi tattoo, then apologized, got it removed, retracted the apology, and later said his military service is to blame for the ink or something.
Graham Platner wants to “shut this White House down."
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) May 1, 2026
He offers a preview of a Dem-controlled Senate:
“I want the Trump administration not to function, because everyone in the White House is being hauled under subpoena in front of a Senate committee, day after day after day." pic.twitter.com/vDc1lqFpym
SICK!
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 10, 2026
Maine Democrat Senate Candidate Graham Platner continues to defend things like his Nazi tattoo and posts where he says women should "act like an adult" to avoid rape.
CBS: Is there anything you’ve done or said that you regret?
PLATNER: “We have a crude sense of humor.” pic.twitter.com/PMDVf3PGyg
You Can't Make This Up!
— Conservative Brief (@ConservBrief) May 3, 2026
Maine Democrat Senate candidate Graham Platner commenting on s*xual assault: "Holy f---, how about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f----- up they wind up having sex with someone they don't mean to? So if you don't want… pic.twitter.com/aumlQ7Znrl
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