Democrat U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner has defied a rolling series of scandals and still raised $4.7 million in the final quarter of 2025, his campaign exclusively told Axios.
With those millions banked to support his run, Axios notes the Bernie Sanders-endorsed populist who came under fire for a Nazi-linked tattoo and controversial social media posts may have weathered the storm of controversy that has followed him – at least for for the time being.
Platner is vying with Gov. Janet Mills to be the Democratic nominee against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who is running for her fifth term.
Breitbart News reported he told NBC News just last November his campaign is in a stronger position despite scrutiny over the tattoo, backlash from Democrats and Republicans combined, and the resignation of senior staff.
He argued then he is still “more electable” than Maine Gov. Janet Mills in the Democratic primary and criticized what he called “establishment politics,” adding he believes his “lack of experience” is a “positive.”
On Pod Save America, Platner acknowledged last year a tattoo on his chest resembles the Totenkopf and claimed he got it while drunk in Croatia with fellow Marines.
Platner denied being a Nazi and maintained he would not have gone through life with the tattoo had he known its significance.
In old Reddit posts, the Senate candidate is accused of referring to himself as a “communist,” calling police “bastards,” and saying sexual assault victims should “take some responsibility for themselves and not get so messed up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.”
He also said Americans who live in rural areas are “stupid.”
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