Democrats in Maine literally voted for the worst nominee for the U.S. Senate I’ve ever seen… in one of their top pickup opportunities of 2026, no less. When this election is over and Sen. Susan Collins is reelected, we’ll be looking back on this election as the “Maybe Don’t Nominate a Guy With a Nazi Tattoo” Election. Of course, Graham Platner goes beyond just the tattoo and all of the other scandals plaguing him and his campaign. Even if nothing else ever comes out about him, there’s a huge problem facing his campaign.
The party really doesn’t want to get near him.
Yeah, there are people like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Ma.), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), and a few others who are all in for Platner, but they were early on and can’t really retreat without major fallout. The problem is that the Democrats who haven’t endorsed him don’t want to be linked to him.
For example, Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) sat down with CNN's Kasie Hunt on The Arena Thursday and was asked if he would campaign with Platner this fall. He worked his way around an answer, mentioning Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) as races he's committed to, before getting to why Maine is a different story.
"I understand and respect why the voters of Maine have chosen someone who is an outspoken, forceful progressive, someone who is a combat veteran and brings a new direction for the state of Maine if he were to be elected," Coons said. "But I've had real concerns about his tattoo and his story about what he thought or didn't think about this Nazi-affiliated tattoo and some of the allegations about his personal conduct."
He added, "I think I should stay out of Maine politics and focus on my own state and my own region.”
Dem Senator Chris Coons dodges question on whether he'll campaign with Graham Platner:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 11, 2026
CNN: “Are you willing to campaign with Mr. Platner this fall?”
COONS: “I’ve got my own election campaign to focus on and I have lots of current colleagues who I am helping and supporting” pic.twitter.com/ljpDGpQFa6
Coons is far from alone among Democrats running from Platner. Mark Kelly claims he just hasn't "met" the guy yet and says Platner has "got things to explain." Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) have both declined to endorse, with Duckworth saying she's "focused on the Midwest." Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has said he would "never" endorse Platner.
Related: Just When You Thought the Platner Tattoo Scandal Couldn’t Get Worse…
Even those who have technically endorsed him seem somewhat reluctant to do so. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) technically said he'd back all Democratic nominees but still noted Platner has "work to do." Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said she'd "work with whoever the Mainers elect" but made clear her support is about stopping Republicans, not enthusiasm for Platner himself, and when asked if he needs to do more to address his past, she just said she hopes she's "not caught again live on TV answering the same questions about bad behavior." Even Elizabeth Warren, urging colleagues to "coalesce" around him, framed it largely as a strategic necessity rather than a ringing personal endorsement.
This is the most important race for Democrats in their quest to retake the Senate, and yet Democrats know he is so toxic that they either won’t endorse him or do so reluctantly out of strategic necessity. And even those who won’t condemn him pose problems for the party because they are effectively condoning every scandalous thing about him.
