The first-time political candidate said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007, when he was in his 20s and serving in the Marine Corps. It happened during a night of drinking while he was on leave in Croatia, he said, adding that he was unaware until recently that the image had been associated with Nazi police.
The recent revelation that the tattoo had been hastily covered up is just the latest bizarre twist in the high-stakes Senate race, which has seen a series of unexpected developments in the past 10 days. The unfolding drama has included a sweep of old internet posts, a drunken video of Platner in his underwear, and now the urgently edited tattoo.
Amid the frenzy, another Democratic candidate released his own shirtless photo to show off his arm tattoo featuring former President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign logo.
### A Senate Race Intensifies Quickly
Platner launched his campaign in August, but the intensity of the race ratcheted up last Monday when Gov. Janet Mills announced her entry into the contest. Democrats view Mills as a crucial candidate to help reclaim a Senate majority. Her entry had the strong backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who is seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has held the Senate seat for nearly 30 years.
Shortly after Mills entered the race, news began trickling out from Platner’s past. Platner, an oyster farmer running as a progressive, pushed back, saying the onslaught showed he wasn’t the preferred candidate of establishment Democrats. He accused his political opponents of attempting to “destroy my life” and vowed not to be scared off from the campaign.
“All this is doing is galvanizing my commitment to this project,” he said.
Initially, Platner’s campaign announced he would remove the tattoo, but he later chose to cover it up with another design due to the limited tattoo removal options in rural Maine.
“Going to a tattoo removal place is going to take a while,” he explained. “I wanted this thing off my body.”
### The Tattoo Controversy
The initial tattoo resembled a specific symbol of Hitler’s paramilitary Schutzstaffel, or SS, responsible for the systematic murders of millions of Jews and others during World War II.
The new tattoo, completed late Tuesday, is a Celtic knot with a dog-like creature splayed in the middle. The animal features four gangly legs and an elongated head with a curly tongue spiraling out. The image is mostly filled in with black ink, while the Celtic knot is green.
In a rare campaign moment, Platner agreed to take his shirt off during an interview with WGME-TV, a Portland-based Maine news outlet, on Wednesday to reveal the new design. He also shared a video on social media lifting his shirt to display the tattoo while expressing frustration that the controversy was distracting from issues important to him and Maine voters.
Platner said he had never been questioned about the tattoo’s connection to Nazi symbols in the 20 years he had it. After serving three tours as a Marine, he later enlisted in the Army, which requires an examination for hate symbol tattoos.
“I also passed a full background check to receive a security clearance to join the Ambassador to Afghanistan’s security detail,” Platner said.
### Other Controversial Statements Surface
Questions about the tattoo follow recent discoveries of Platner’s now-deleted online statements, which included dismissing military sexual assaults, questioning Black patrons’ gratuity habits, and criticizing police officers and rural Americans.
More old Reddit posts surfaced Wednesday, with The Advocate reporting that between 2018 and 2021, Platner used homophobic slurs and made anti-LGBTQ+ jokes. Platner has apologized for these comments, saying they were made after leaving the Army in 2012, during a period when he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
Despite the calls for him to drop out of the race, Platner has persisted and has the backing of Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who has described Platner as a stronger candidate for the seat than Mills.
One other primary rival, Jordan Wood, a former chief of staff to U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., called on Platner to withdraw, stating that “Democrats need to be able to condemn Trump’s actions with moral clarity” and that Platner “no longer can.”
Meanwhile, the National Republican Senate Committee has been fundraising off the controversy on behalf of Collins.
Platner said he is not ashamed to confront his past comments and actions because they reflect the lessons he learned to get where he is today.
“I don’t look at this as a liability,” he told the AP. “It’s a life that I have lived, a journey that has been difficult, full of struggle, that has also gotten me to where I am today. And I’m very proud of who I am.”
### Rally Draws a Raucous Crowd
During a rally in the southern Maine town of Ogunquit on Wednesday night, Platner addressed his regret about the tattoo and the recent online controversies. His mother, Leslie Harlow, who introduced him, acknowledged it had been a rough week for her son but expressed faith in his campaign’s ability to overcome the challenges.
The event packed a 500-person capacity theater and featured frequent raucous applause.
“I am ashamed of things I once said. But I am not ashamed of who I am today,” Platner declared from the stage, earning a round of applause.
Outside the rally, David Tufts of Eliot, Maine, said he felt Platner had done a good job addressing the week’s controversies.
Tufts expressed his support for Platner based on his stance on issues such as increasing taxes on the wealthy and keeping the nation out of war.
“I feel like he has done a pretty good job of explaining the Reddit history, the tattoo. I feel like I kind of understand where he was coming from,” Tufts said, adding that while the revelations “don’t increase my faith in him,” he remains supportive of the campaign.
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Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.
https://fortune.com/2025/10/23/graham-platner-covers-nazi-tattoo-maine-us-senate-race-reddit-posts-apology/
