Democrats have their sights set on Maine’s U.S. Senate race next year, viewing it as a potential pickup opportunity. But there’s a catch: primaries tend to draw out the party’s most passionate voters, who often favor the most radical candidates, and whatever Bernie Sanders says still carries weight with that crowd. Which raises the obvious question: Are Democrats really about to nominate the “Nazi Tattoo Guy”?
That seems to be the million-dollar question hanging over Maine's 2026 Senate race, where the party finds itself torn between a progressive darling with a toxic past and an establishment candidate who nobody seems particularly excited about.
Graham Platner, the oyster farmer and Marine Corps veteran, generated serious grassroots momentum when he launched his campaign, drawing massive crowds and raising a jaw-dropping $5 million while positioning himself as an anti-corruption outsider. Bernie Sanders endorsed him, labor unions lined up behind him, and for a brief moment, Democrats thought they finally had their guy to take down Susan Collins. Then the skeletons started tumbling out of the closet, including a Totenkopf — a Nazi skull and crossbones symbol, and a slew of old internet posts.
Platner claims he got the tattoo while drunk on leave in Croatia back in 2007 and had no idea it was connected to Hitler's paramilitary death squads. This supposedly went unnoticed for 20 years, including when he joined the Army and passed background checks for security clearances. When the tattoo finally became an issue last month, Platner scrambled to get it covered up.
Turns out Platner spent years posting garbage on Reddit. He identified as a communist, called all cops "bastards," dismissed the difficulties service members face reporting sexual assault, and referred to rural white Mainers as "stupid" and "racist". When confronted, he claimed he was just trying "to get a rise out of people on the internet" and insisted the posts didn't reflect his actual views. Right. Because when people want attention online, they naturally gravitate toward defending communism and mocking sexual assault victims. There’s always an excuse, isn’t there? To believe Platner’s explanation for the tattoo and his internet posts, he’s never actually been responsible for anything that he’s done.
Despite all this, Platner remains not only viable in the Democratic Party but also favored to win his party’s primary. The problem is that while the activist wing of the party doesn’t have a problem with his Nazi tattoo or his online posts, a new poll commissioned by EMILYs List shows just how toxic Platner has become with general election voters.
The survey, conducted by Impact Research between October 22 and October 27, tested how Maine voters react when they actually learn about Platner's history. The results should terrify Democrats. In an initial matchup that included both pro-Platner messaging and likely Republican attacks, Collins already led Platner 51% to 42%. When voters were read direct quotes from his deleted Reddit posts, Collins' advantage ballooned to 19 points. Even after hearing Platner's detailed apology about hitting a "low point" and spending time in "toxic corners of the internet," his deficit only narrowed by 5 points.
Tiernan Donohue, chief campaigns officer for EMILYs List, explained where things stand. "Maine voters find Graham Platner's comments blaming victims for sexual assault, calling the Mainers he is seeking to represent 'racist' and 'stupid,' and promoting violent political action completely disqualifying.” The group has endorsed Gov. Janet Mills instead, signaling that national Democrats recognize Platner represents a general election disaster waiting to happen.
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Make no mistake about it, Collins presents a genuine opportunity for Democrats. Her approval rating sits underwater by 10 points, and generic ballot testing shows Maine voters prefer a Democrat over a Republican 46% to 37% for Senate. This represents a significant shift from 2019, when Collins enjoyed positive approval numbers a year before her 2020 reelection. Democrats smell blood in the water, viewing this as their best chance to flip the seat after Collins cast the decisive vote to confirm Brett Kavanaugh.
If Democrats nominate Platner, they'll hand Collins a gift-wrapped reelection by spending the entire campaign defending Nazi tattoos and Reddit posts instead of hammering her record. The question is, will they? After what happened in Virginia, it’s hard to say. Jay Jones' 2022 text messages should have been disqualifying, but they weren’t. Of course, the key difference is that Maine Democrats have a choice now.
Still, are they dumb enough to nominate him? Probably.
Editor’s Note: After more than 40 days of screwing Americans, a few Dems have finally caved. The Schumer Shutdown was never about principle—just inflicting pain for political points.
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