Graham Platner controversies from sexting to Nazi tattoo rock Maine race

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has emerged as one of the party’s fastest-rising political figures, drawing national attention for his populist message and outsider image.

But as his profile grows, so does scrutiny of his past behavior, with controversies ranging from sexually explicit messages to offensive social media posts, from Nazi-linked tattoos to campaign staff mutiny.

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Continuing to clean up those scandals, Platner arrived in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to meet with party figures at the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee headquarters just a week before the primary.

The veteran sailor and oyster farmer defended himself against criticism and maintained support from prominent Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, DY and Sens. Bernie SandersI-Vt. and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. Still, some questioned whether the allegations could complicate Democrats’ efforts to unseat Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races.

Here’s a look at the key debates affecting Platner’s campaign.

Explicit text messages and sexting allegations

The latest controversy surrounding Platner stems from reports that he exchanged sexually explicit messages with multiple women during his marriage; this was something campaign aides were reportedly aware of as his Senate bid took shape.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, told a campaign aide about the text exchange shortly after he launched his Senate bid while staffers were weighing potential political commitments.

According to the report, Gertner discovered these messages months after the couple married in 2024 and disclosed their existence before her husband held a campaign rally with progressive Senator Sanders. His campaign team told Politico that the aide treated the matter as a private matter between the couple and had not publicly voiced her concerns about it.

Senate Candidate Graham Platner Sent Explicit Texts to Multiple Women While Married, Wife Says: REPORT

Platner’s campaign later confirmed the existence of the text exchanges to Politico.

He also said in a statement to Fox News Digital: “Amy and I went through difficult things because of me. We did the work and I’m grateful to her every hour of every day.”

“What I’ve learned throughout this campaign is that people don’t care about rumors or headlines; they care about you fighting for their hospitals, their paychecks, their children… Our opponents want politics to be devoid of substance and actual change — and that’s exactly what our movement is about to defeat,” he added.

In a statement to the Journal, Gertner criticized the disclosure of the information, saying she had shared “deeply personal details” about her marriage to someone she considered a friend, but had seen those details become public.

She explained that the two attended couple’s counseling, worked on issues in their marriage, and have since emerged as a stronger couple.

“I know who Graham is. I know the man I married and the husband who has accompanied me through the best and worst days of my life,” Gertner said. “That hasn’t changed and it won’t change.”

Nazi related tattoo

Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, points to a covered tattoo previously considered a Nazi symbol during an interview in Portland, Maine, on October 22, 2025. (WGME via AP)

Platner’s campaign faced intense scrutiny after it was revealed he once had a skull and crossbones tattoo on his chest that closely resembled the “Totenkopf” symbol used by Hitler’s SS paramilitary forces.

The Maine Democrat claimed he got the tattoo “on a boozy night” while on leave as a sailor in Croatia in 2007, and that he was completely unaware of the tattoo’s meaning at the time.

In an Instagram video posted in May, Platner detailed the tattoo’s origins. He explained that he simply picked the design from a wall of flash tattoos while “carousing” with fellow sailors in Split, Croatia.

“We thought it looked great,” he sneered.

Platner later stated that he was “horrified” when he learned that the image resembled a Nazi symbol, and argued that his life and career were defined by opposition to fascism, racism and Nazism. He also noted that he was never asked about tattoos during his military service.

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Platner said he chose to cover up the tattoo rather than have it removed because tattoo removal services were not available near his rural home in Maine.

“It’s going to take some time to get to the tattoo removal place,” he told The Associated Press. “I wanted this thing out of my body.”

The symbol was eventually covered by a tattoo featuring images of the Celtic knot and dogs; Platner said it was done to honor his family’s pets.

Deleted Reddit posts reveal disturbing comments

U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine speaks at a campaign event on May 17, 2026 in Portland, Maine. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

The main scrutiny Platner faced during his bid stemmed from thousands of deleted Reddit posts that resurfaced after he launched his Senate campaign.

In posts first reported by CNN and Politico, Platner referred to himself as a “communist” and a “socialist” and promoted the slogan “all cops are bedridden.”

In other writings, he argued that “those who expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle should read some history” and said that “an armed working class is necessary for economic justice.”

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Posts under the retired username “P-hustle” were deleted before Platner announced his Democratic Senate candidacy in August.

The candidate has repeatedly addressed the posts since then, telling CNN and Politico that he was “surfing the internet” at a time when he was “feeling lost and disillusioned with the government that sent me abroad to watch my friends die.”

“I made stupid jokes and started fights,” Platner said. “But of course I’m not a socialist. I’m a small business owner, a Marine Corps veteran, and a retired poster boy.”

In his posts, Platner made vulgar comments about masturbating in a restroom and claimed that a U.S. soldier who came under enemy fire in Afghanistan “didn’t deserve to live.”

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The debates did little to erode Platner’s standing within the Democratic Party; Platner continued to garner national attention and grassroots support in the Democratic Party’s primary to challenge Sen. Collins for the seat.

Since former Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills halted her campaign in April, much of the party establishment has consolidated behind Platner, and national Democrats have continued to support her candidacy despite the flurry of scandal.

The steady stream of allegations and past controversies have also drawn attention to a little-known provision in Maine election law that allows political parties to replace a candidate after a primary under certain circumstances.

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Under State LawA candidate who wins the primary elections and then withdraws by 17:00 on July 13 may be replaced by a candidate selected by party officials. Any replacement candidates must then be elected by 5 p.m. on July 27.

There is currently no indication that Platner plans to drop out of the race, and the Democratic candidate has repeatedly promised to continue his campaign. Still, the provision has attracted renewed attention as questions remain about whether additional disclosures will complicate his candidacy.

Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.