Last Thursday, RedState reported on how the field for Bernie Sanders-backed Maine Senate Democrat primary candidate Graham Platner was essentially cleared after the state's governor, Janet Mills, suspended her Senate campaign.
Despite name recognition and the support of Sen. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and the Democrat Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) - or perhaps because of it, Mills never was much of a challenge for Platner, who led most polls by comfortable double-digit margins even amid numerous scandals that plagued his upstart campaign, including the revelation that he had a Nazi-themed tattoo on his chest.
Notably, Mills did not offer an endorsement in her statement announcing the suspension of her campaign. Instead, she simply wrote that she did not have the financial resources to continue, while adding that she had "unending love, admiration, and hope for Maine people — a people whose hearts are filled with love and whose integrity and humility is surpassed only by their kindness, generosity, and compassion."
SEE ALSO: Bernie-Endorsed Senate Candidate’s Plans for SCOTUS Might Be Worse Than That Nazi Tattoo
Considering past remarks made by Platner on his Reddit account - ugly comments that resurfaced in the fall months for Maine voters to ponder, the statement that Mainers - at least the ones on the Democrat side who support Platner - are "compassionate" and "kind" is something that is up for debate (language warning):
In the last 30 years, Graham Platner…
— Nathan Brand (@nathanbrand) May 2, 2026
told raped women they’re at fault
“became a communist”
said “all” police as bastards
called rural people racist and stupid
labeled Maine lobstermen “pieces of s**t”
supported Hamas terrorists
plus, he got a Nazi death camp tattoo
To top it all off, something hinted at by former officials with the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) on Thursday was that the DSCC-led oppo dumps done during the primary race only scratched the surface of what was out there on Platner.
And on Friday, an NRSC source expanded on that, telling political podcaster Mark Halperin that the oppo Republicans are doing on Platner has been so extensive and has produced so much material that Platner may "have to leave the state" when all is said and done:
Mark Halperin said Friday on 2WAY's "The Morning Meeting" that an NRSC source tells him the opposition research they have yet to release on presumed Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner is so damaging that he won't just lose the election, "he'll have to leave the state."
Platner is the presumed winner of the Democratic primary despite reports that he had a tattoo with Nazi iconography and a history of online comments that could offend almost anyone.
"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."
Perhaps more than his controversial statements on rape victims, gay people, black people, and rural Mainers, Platner is likely to be hammered by Republicans in the general election season over the Nazi-themed tattoo, which Platner initially claimed he didn't know was a Nazi tattoo and has since had covered.
But as a report from CNN noted at the time, Platner did in fact acknowledge that it was a Nazi-themed tattoo as early as 2019:
Guys, stop with the Platner apologism. He referred to his tattoo as a "totenkopf" in 2019. He knew was it was. You're being disingenuous (h/t @KFILE )https://t.co/UzJP3LKQ4H
— Mike Nelson (@mikenelson586) May 1, 2026
His former political director, Genevieve McDonald, who resigned after the Reddit posts were revealed, alleged that Platner did know the tattoo was antisemitic but still kept it:
"Graham has an anti-Semitic tattoo on his chest. He's not an idiot, he's a military history buff. 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."
Genevieve McDonald, Graham Platner's former political director, weighs in on the Nazi tattoo controversy:
— Maine State Press (@MaineStatePress) October 21, 2025
"Graham has an anti-Semitic tattoo on his chest. He's not an idiot, he's a military history buff. Maybe he didn't know it when he got it, but he got it years ago and he… pic.twitter.com/5AcXhExQ1M
Democrats like Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz have spent years making bogus Trump-Hitler comparisons and have also repeatedly alleged that Trump ally Elon Musk is a Nazi sympathizer because of a "Nazi salute" they claim he did, which, in reality, did not happen.
These same Democrats are now rushing to embrace and to campaign on behalf of a guy who literally has a Nazi-themed tattoo, all in desperate hopes of retaking the Senate. When you hear Republicans talk about how there is no low to which Democrats won't stoop, this is exactly what they are talking about.
Democrats have only themselves to blame for the looming political fallout to come from this in the general election, which GOP Sen. Susan Collins and her allies at the NRSC will help expedite with precision in order to demonstrate to independent voters how Platner and his ilk are bad news not just for Maine, but also for America.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
Please help RedState continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member