Maine Democratic Senate hopeful Graham Platner sprinted into a school building this week to dodge an individual asking about his old Reddit posts on pleasuring himself inside public portable toilets.
Platner ignored questions about the porta-potty material and waved off an offer of hand sanitizer before disappearing through the entrance, according to footage shared by The Maine Wire.
Roughly 15 years of since-deleted online comments from the presumptive Democratic Senate nominee in Maine have been archived, according to The Maine Monitor. The cache includes a riff about an alluring “blue water smell” and praise for a phallic doodle dubbed “Hot Rod C**k,” according to the outlet.
The writings trace back to a now-defunct Reddit handle called “P-Hustle” that Platner has previously copped to using, according to Fox News, which first broke the story. In a March 2017 thread on the r/Military forum asking veterans about familiar scents, the candidate replied, “I still have to jerk off every time I sit in a portas—-er… that blue water smell conditioned me,” Fox News reported.
A 2021 post on the r/USMC forum, written when Platner was 36, described graffiti he encountered at Manas, a U.S. military waystation in Kyrgyzstan during the Afghanistan war, according to Fox News.
“It was beautiful,” Platner wrote in the post recovered by The Maine Monitor. “Engorged and veiny, it rode towards its penetrative glory upon two smoking hot rod wheels, smoke and fire enshrouding its tumescence, winged like Nike as it pushed ever forward toward its conquests.”
The Marine veteran has cited combat-related mental health struggles to explain the wider pattern of offensive posts dredged up during his campaign, telling supporters in an October video, “I am deeply sorry,” according to The National News Desk. A 2020 Reddit comment, however, shows Platner himself dismissing the PTSD defense as “bull—,” per Fox News.
Platner previously brushed off questions about other resurfaced posts by telling Fox News Digital, “You should read the comments in context. It’s very clear I’m joking.”
Townhall noted the candidate is also dogged by an SS-style Totenkopf tattoo he claims he got drunk in Croatia without knowing its meaning, along with reports he mocked a Purple Heart recipient wounded four times in Afghanistan.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/Nazi-Tattoo-Guy-Graham-Platner.jpg323640The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2026-05-28 06:40:052026-05-28 06:46:19Nazi Tattoo Guy Graham Platner Bird-Dogged Over Public Masturbation Social Media Posts
Oyster farmer Graham Platner is running in Maine for the Senate as a Democrat, and now that Janet Mills has withdrawn from the primary, Platner is the presumptive candidate. And he has a six-percent lead over the Republican incumbent, Susan Collins. But he has some baggage, including a posting on Reddit that appeared to blame women who are victims of rape for not taking “responsibility” for their own vulnerability: “Holy f**k, how about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f**ked up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to? Men and women, you make a choice to consume enough of a substance to lose your self control. So if you don’t want to be in a [compromising] situation, act like an adult for f**k’s sake.”
And then there is the little matter of Platner’s tattoo. In 2007, while in Croatia, Platner chose to be tattooed on his chest with a Totenkopf (death’s head), that was the symbol of the Nazi SS. He now says he was drunk at the time, and had “no idea” what the Totenkopf symbolized. But surely in the nearly twenty years since he got it, he must have found out its significance, yet he made no attempt to cover it over until this year, when it became an issue in the campaign.
It has also turned out that in the past he praised a video showing Hamas terrorists killing Israeli soldiers. More on this disturbing news, which appeared a month ago, can be found here: “‘I dig it’: Graham Platner praised Hamas tactics in 2014 graphic video of killings of Israeli soldiers,” by Marc Rod, Jewish Insider, April 15, 2026:
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner repeatedly praised the tactics used by Hamas terrorists in comments made about a graphic video of a Hamas raid into Israel in 2014, in which terrorists killed at least five Israeli soldiers.
The original video, also now deleted but still archived, was posted by a YouTube channel called Sabah on July 29, 2014, with the description, “Secret footage shows the storming of a settlement by the Qassam Brigades and the killing of 10 soldiers.” The description and comments in the Reddit thread appear to match a raid by Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades on a military base near Kibbutz Nahal Oz the day prior.
According to a text description of the video and the raid shared online, the video includes footage of the shootings of several Israeli soldiers, at least one of whom is screaming as the terrorists attempt to kidnap him.
Responding to another user who criticized the “execution” of the Israeli soldiers and emphasized that the attack would lead to heavy reprisals in Gaza, Platner said he was not interested in discussing the geopolitical or strategic implications, but suggested Hamas’ tactics and actions were reasonable.
Which is the greatest scandal of the Platner campaign? Is it that Graham Platner had a Nazi SS tattoo on his chest for almost twenty years, and covered it over only after it became an issue in his campaign? Is it that Graham Platner blamed victims of rape for not taking “responsibility” for their own vulnerability? It is neither of those. The greatest scandal of all is that despite his admiration for Hamas killing Israeli soldiers, despite his Nazi SS tattoo, despite his calling for an end to all American military aid to the embattled Jewish state, that the Democratic Party, instead of disavowing him, continues unembarrassedly to support him.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/U.S.-Senate-candidate-Graham-Platner.jpg360640Jihad Watchhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngJihad Watch2026-05-28 05:22:532026-05-28 06:12:21Graham Platner: It’s Not Just the Nazi Tattoo
As Democrats plot to retake power during next year’s midterm elections, some are embracing a strategy considered politically toxic by many in the party.
Democrats squaring off in primaries across the country are calling for the abolition of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or for major changes that would strip the agency of its core functions. The resurgence of the “Abolish ICE” movement comes as some Democrats argue President Donald Trump’s illegal immigration crackdown has gone too far, though leading Democrats have still not coalesced around an alternative immigration policy platform.
“Let me be clear, fuck ICE,” Democratic Illinois House candidate Patty Garcia said during a campaign announcement in November. “It’s time to abolish ICE and hold Trump and his entire clan accountable.”
Garcia, who controversially became the presumptive Democratic nominee for a deep blue seat by default following a retirement gambit by her boss, is likely to take her anti-ICE advocacy with her to Congress next year.
Other high-profile Democratic House candidates such as outgoing New York City comptroller Brad Lander and Illinois House candidate Kat Abughazaleh have also forcefully called for the agency’s dismantlement. Lander and Abughazaleh are both running in contested primaries.
“I’m happy to say abolish ICE,” Lander told Zeteo News in June. “I hope other people will say it too.”
Authorities arrested both candidates in separate incidents earlier in 2025 for interfering with ICE proceedings. Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has gone further and suggested that individual agents should face trial.
Left-wing Democrats in Congress, who may not use the viral slogan themselves, appear to welcome some of their colleagues using “Abolish ICE” messaging.
“You’re gonna hear rhetoric like that because people are in their communities, and they’re seeing masked men and unmarked vehicles go and terrorize our communities in broad daylight,” Democratic Florida Rep. Maxwell Frost told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a brief interview on Friday.
Though Frost did not say whether he would use the phrase himself, the left-wing Floridian said “there needs to be huge changes to ICE” and that $170 billion allocated for border security and immigration enforcement signed into law by Trump in July should be clawed back.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) countered that anti-ICE messaging is dangerous for the men and women serving in law enforcement.
“Attacks and demonization of ICE is wrong,” Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told the DCNF in a statement. “President Trump campaigned on immigration enforcement, the American people voted for it, and Secretary [Kristi] Noem is delivering.”
McLaughlin also stated ICE officers are facing a 1,150% increase in assaults as compared with the same period in 2024 under the Biden administration.
Some Democrats are actively trying to distance themselves from the “abolish ICE” movement, which has proven unpopular over consecutive electoral cycles.
“Obviously, there are practices going on at ICE that I fundamentally disagree with, but I don’t think the abolition movement, just like the Defund the Police movement, is the answer,” Democratic Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz said in a brief interview.
“I wouldn’t use that [abolish ICE] language,” Democratic California Rep. Ami Bera said Thursday. “But if we get the majority, obviously we’ll investigate what they’re doing.”
National Republicans appear eager to paint Democrats as the party of “open borders” with calls to eliminate ICE trickling back into some Democrat’s messaging.
“Abolishing ICE has become the radical litmus test Democrats can’t resist,” National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement.
Rather than condemn the politically toxic slogan, leading Democrats have cast doubt that “Abolish ICE” is making a messaging comeback.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar and Democratic Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin both told the DCNF they were not aware of Democrats supporting the agency’s dismantlement.
“The only time I hear that [abolish ICE] is actually from my Republican colleagues,” Aguilar, the third-ranking House Democrat, insisted. “I haven’t heard any Democrats calling for defunding law enforcement agencies.”
House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark dodged when asked whether calls to abolish ICE are welcome in the party. The second-ranking House Democrat said her caucus is focused on lowering costs.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries asked the DCNF for the names of individuals who are calling for ICE’s abolition when pressed on the topic Friday. The lead Democrat said he had not spoken with any “abolish ICE” proponents about their views and slammed Trump’s deportation agenda.
Just 38% of American adults approve of Trump’s job performance on immigration, according to an AP-NORC poll released Thursday. However, a November Reuters/Ipsos poll found that voters favor Republicans to handle immigration than Democrats by a 12-point margin.
Democratic California Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who has previously endorsed belligerent rhetoric against Republicans, argued that ICE needed to be met with resistance, though stopped short of abolition.
“We need to meet them where they’re at,” Gomez told the DCNF. “If they’re in the streets, we got to be there.”
Andi Shae Napier and Caden Olson contributed to this report.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
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With the 2026 midterms fast approaching, seven intense Democratic primary contests are taking shape across the country and highlighting divisions regarding the future of the party.
As Democrats look to reclaim control of Congress after Republican gains in 2024, several key battles could play a decisive role in determining the party’s chances at earning a majority in either chamber.
In California, the race to replace Governor Gavin Newsom is heating up, with a matchup between former Democratic Rep. Katie Porter and current Rep. Eric Swalwell taking center stage.
Porter opted not to seek reelection to her House seat in 2024, instead running for Dianne Feinstein’s open U.S. Senate seat. She finished third behind Democrat Adam Schiff and Republican candidate and former professional baseball player Steve Garvey. She is now mounting a statewide comeback with a bid for governor.
A series of videos showed Porter lashing out at a reporter during an interview and berating a staff member, opening the door for another Democrat to enter the race. California Rep. Eric Swalwell stepped into the breach in November, positioning himself as the candidate that will be a “fighter and protector.”
The two, however, risk splitting the Democratic vote, as California uses a top-two open primary system. All candidates appear on the same ballot and the two highest vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of party. A recent poll showed how the intra-party fight between Porter and Swalwell is benefiting Republican candidates.
Dem CA gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter seen shooting death stares at her staff during a Zoom meeting after they messed up her lighting.
“I need the lights off… the bright lights… I need you to turn these off. These, that are killing me… Not that dark.”
An Emerson College poll from December shows two Republican gubernatorial candidates, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton, in a virtual three-way tie with Swalwell. It’s possible that if Democratic support doesn’t coalesce around either Porter or Swalwell, voters in the deep blue state could be choosing between two Republicans in the general.
Just north of Sacramento, another competitive race is emerging to fill Democratic California Rep. Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat, after she announced she will not seek reelection ahead of the 2026 midterms. Pelosi has represented the San Francisco area for 20 terms and has served twice as Speaker of the House.
Pelosi served as a key foil to the Democratic ‘Squad’ while serving as speaker, and her exit opens the door for the far left of the party to consolidate more power. Neither candidate vying to replace her carries the experience of a longtime political tactician like Pelosi, and both boast far more progressive policy platforms.
California State Senator Scott Wiener, who has represented much of San Francisco in the state Senate since 2016, has announced his candidacy for the 11th congressional district.
Wiener previously authored a 2019 bill aimed at reducing certain sex offender registry requirements in the state, calling the existing policy “blatant discrimination against LGBT young people regarding California’s sex offender registry.”
Creepy California State Senator Scott Wiener held a pumpkin carving event for children with drag queen shows
His staff then allegedly assaulted an independent journalist who was filming it
Wiener initially said he would not challenge the former speaker for her seat, yet he announced a campaign shortly before Pelosi revealed she would be retiring. He explained that the move was necessary after Saikat Chakrabarti — former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and co-founder of Justice Democrats — launched a self-funded bid for the seat, reshaping the primary dynamics, according to a CNN report.
Chakrabarti had announced his challenge to Pelosi earlier in 2025, campaigning on a progressive platform that includes Medicare-for-All, affordable housing, and higher taxes on billionaires.
The former chief of staff had previously helped orchestrate Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 upset victory, played a key role in drafting and promoting the Green New Deal, and worked on Bernie Sanders’ 2016 presidential campaign — experience he now highlights as central to his political credentials.
On the East Coast in Maine, a heated Democratic Senate primary is underway between establishment party candidate and current Maine governor Janet Mills, who has the backing of the Democratic political machine, and “working-class” candidate Graham Platner. Both are aiming to unseat current incumbent Republican Maine Sen. Susan Collins.
Mills, if elected, would be one of the oldest freshman senators at 77 years old, and is currently under fire for supporting taxpayer-funded health care for illegal immigrants and defying President Donald Trump’s executive order to prohibit men from competing in women’s sports.
Platner, a political first-timer who has become a progressive darling, is angling his campaign around Democratic populist policies like Medicare-for-All, labor protections, climate action, and anti-corruption reforms.
He’s been drawing large crowds, even as he faces controversies over past social media posts and a tattoo that resembled a Nazi symbol which he had covered up.
In Maine, another significant race is unfolding in the state’s 2nd Congressional District following Rep. Jared Golden’s surprise announcement that he will not seek reelection.
Before Golden bowed out on Nov. 5, State Auditor and former Secretary of State Matt Dunlap had already launched a primary challenge on Oct. 6, criticizing Golden’s moderate record and his frequent alignment with Republicans. It marked the first primary challenge Golden had faced since 2018.
Prior to ending his campaign, Golden released polling indicating that he had the best shot at holding the seat for Democrats — and his exit suggests Democrats will have to dump a lot more money into the race than anticipated.
In that poll, Dunlap was trailing former Republican Maine Governor Paul LePage by 10 points, according to a NOTUS report.
Dunlap is not the only Democrat trying to replace Golden. Jordan Wood, a former chief of staff to Katie Porter and vice president at End Citizens United, initially launched a campaign for Collins’s Senate seat, but shifted to the race for the 2nd Congressional District on Nov. 12 shortly after Golden announced he would not seek reelection.
He comes to the race with Washington experience and is significantly younger than the 61-year-old Dunlap.
The first-time candidate has centered his campaign on economic issues affecting working families and already has a $1 million war chest from his Senate campaign.
Down in the Longhorn state, Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett announced her run for Republican Sen. John Cornyn’s seat in the final hours of the filing period. Her entry into the Democratic primary roiled the party, with former Rep. Colin Allred suspending his campaign and opting to run for a North Texas congressional seat against an incumbent Democrat.
Crockett will go up against State Rep. James Talarico, a former middle school teacher and Presbyterian seminarian.
Talarico’s campaign platform is based on his fight as a state representative leading the “fight against the billionaire mega-donors and puppet politicians.” He says he is now running to fight against “corruption” in Washington and “win back power for working people,” according to his campaign website.
Crockett’s entry into the race threatens to take a potentially competitive state off the table for Democrats. She has expressed that she has no intention of trying to win over Trump supporters and is running on an unabashedly progressive platform, compared to Talarico’s left-populist agenda. Yet her loyal left-wing base makes her a strong contender to win the primary.
In fact, Crockett is seen as so toxic that Republicans reportedly goaded her to run so they could better protect the seat.
The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) began testing Crockett’s name in internal polling in July, as first reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The results showed her leading a hypothetical Democratic primary. In the months that followed, the NRSC quietly encouraged Crockett to enter the race, a push that ultimately led her to join the Senate Democratic primary at the last minute.
GOP insiders believe either the incumbent Cornyn or Attorney General Ken Paxton would breeze to victory against Crockett, allowing them to save valuable resources for other races throughout the country.
In Massachusetts, Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton, is making generational change the centerpiece of his campaign against incumbent Sen. Ed Markey. Moulton argues that Democrats need new leadership after the 79-year-old senator’s nearly half-century in Congress — Markey would be 86 at the end of another term if reelected.
Moulton, a 47-year-old former Marine, previously beat incumbent Rep. John Tierney in 2014 and voted to block Democrat California Rep. Nancy Pelosi from becoming speaker of the House in 2018, according to a Politico report.
Moulton has faced backlash in his overwhelmingly blue state for tacking to the center. He suggested that his party’s recent electoral setbacks were tied to its stance on allowing transgender girls to compete in girls’ sports, according to a New York Times report.
His comments prompted his campaign manager to resign, drew a public rebuke from the state’s Democratic governor, and even led a Tufts University political science chair to threaten to stop sending students to intern in his office.
Markey — often viewed as more progressive than the moderate, reform-minded Moulton — has indirectly rejected claims he is too old to run for reelection, highlighting his alleged energy, fresh ideas, and commitment during crises like the government shutdown.
Following mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City, Democrats are now turning their attention to holding the governor’s office in the Empire State.
Incumbent Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who previously served as lieutenant governor under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and assumed the governorship in August 2021 following his resignation, is running to maintain her residency in Albany.
She made a late appearance alongside Mamdani in his mayoral campaign, publicly throwing her support behind him and pointedly snubbing Cuomo, who had launched an independent bid after losing the primary to Mamdani.
Hochul is facing a primary challenge from her own lieutenant governor, Antonio Delgado, who launched his bid in an effort to unseat Hochul in June.
Delgado spent three years in the U.S. House before Hochul tapped him in 2022 to serve as lieutenant governor, making him the first Latino to hold statewide office in New York.
In a video previewing his announcement, he appears speaking to New Yorkers across the city while calling for “universal health care,” “universal pre-K,” and pledging to fight “the Trump administration’s attacks” on deep-blue New York.
Although Hochul and Delgado began their tenure on good terms and were elected to full terms together, their relationship has cooled as they diverged on key issues, even as the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) has signaled its full support for Hochul heading into the 2026 primary.
Delgado’s public divergences with Hochul began to surface most clearly when he urged President Joe Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. After the election, he reinforced that message in a New York Times op-ed calling for the Democratic Party to change direction, concluding with the line: “A new path is both necessary and possible, but we will not chart it with the same politicians telling the same old stories. We are ready for the next generation.”
He later deepened the divide by calling for New York City Mayor Eric Adams to resign, even as Hochul adopted a more measured approach. The split over Adams prompted spokesperson Avi Small Hogrebe to issue a statement underscoring that “Lieutenant Governor Delgado does not now and has not ever spoken on behalf of this administration.”
These tensions — driven by disagreements over party loyalty, political strategy, and generational change — ultimately led Hochul to remove most of Delgado’s staff and resources, underscoring the widening rift between them, according to a Politico report.
Over the past year, Delgado has gone from a somewhat reluctant lieutenant governor to a political outcast who is no longer on speaking terms with Hochul.
Polls show the Republican frontrunner, Rep. Elise Stefanik, performing slightly better against Delgado, though neither matchup appears to be particularly competitive.
Recent special election and off-year victories for Democrats have the party convinced they’re looking at a blue wave in the 2026 midterms. Even if they are able to regain the majority in Congress, the tense fight between progressives and moderates and younger and older candidates threatens to severely bruise the Democrats in the process.
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/Seven-Primaries-DC.jpg352640The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2025-12-11 15:13:422025-12-11 15:15:53Seven Primaries That Could Tear Democrats Apart In 2026
Democratic lawmakers, candidates and left-wing activist groups are taking aim at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer over eight Democrats supporting a bipartisan deal to end the 41-day shutdown.
Two House Democrats — Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Seth Moulton of Massachusetts — in addition to Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner have called for Schumer’s ouster following a handful of Democrats advancing a stopgap bill to reopen the government. Though Schumer publicly opposed the shutdown deal, his progressive critics have lambasted his role in failing to secure a win on Democrats’ chief shutdown demand: an extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies that will expire at the end of December.
Eight Democrats advanced the House-passed continuing resolution (CR) during a vote Sunday night, providing the minimum number of votes necessary to cross the Senate’s 60-vote threshold. Schumer voted “no” on the procedural motion, but is catching most of the heat from congressional Democrats and the party’s base.
“I’m not going to run on a new generation of leadership platform here in Massachusetts and then go down to Washington and vote for the status quo,” Massachusetts Rep. Seth Moulton told left-wing YouTuber Jack Cocchiarella on Monday. “Again [I] respect his service, but [it’s] time to move on.”
Moulton, 47, is mounting an insurgent primary challenge against Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey. Though Markey, 79, opposed the bipartisan deal to end the shutdown, he has not called on Schumer to step aside.
“Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced,” California Rep. Ro Khanna, 49, wrote on X on Sunday night. “If you can’t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?”
Progressive candidates running to join Schumer in the Senate and Democratic Party-aligned organizations working to mobilize voters have also ripped the shutdown deal. Maine Democrat Graham Platner, who is vying to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, called on Schumer to resign as Democratic Leader on Monday.
“Last night, some Senate Democrats caved,” Platner, 41, said in a video posted to social media. “This happened because Chuck Schumer failed in his job yet again.”
The Bernie Sanders-backed candidate then urged his listeners to call their senators and tell them that Schumer should step down from his leadership post.
Our Revolution, a Sanders-aligned activist group, also called on Schumer to quit his leadership role.
“If he secretly backed this surrender and voted ‘no’ to save face, he’s a liar,” Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution, said in a statement obtained by USA Today. “If he couldn’t keep his caucus in line, he’s inept.”
Democratic Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a member of the left-wing group known as “the Squad,” also called for Schumer’s resignation on Monday.
“Sen. Schumer has failed to meet this moment and is out of touch with the American people,” Tlaib wrote on X.
Sen. Schumer has failed to meet this moment and is out of touch with the American people. The Democratic Party needs leaders who fight and deliver for working people.
Democratic Hawaii Sen. Brian Schatz, a member of Democratic leadership, defended Schumer’s leadership over the record-breaking shutdown on Monday.
“I’ve been in many of those rooms, and he fought like hell against that,” Schatz, who voted against the CR Sunday, told reporters the following day, referring to Schumer.
The eight dissenting Democrats disputed the prevailing narrative on Monday that the cohort caved by joining Republicans to bring an end to the shutdown.
“The government shutting down seemed to be an opportunity to lead us to better policy, but it didn’t work,” retiring Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat, who voted for the CR after having opposed it 14 times, told reporters. “It worked to this extent: health insurance became a big issue, and we get our day in court in December, but this government shutdown itself did not achieve that.”
The promised vote on a Democrat-authored ACA subsidy extension bill is likely to fail given widespread GOP opposition. House Speaker Mike Johnson has also not committed to holding a vote on the measure in his chamber.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
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Democrats are split over Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after resurfaced Reddit posts and a viral video showing a tattoo resembling a Nazi “Death’s Head” emblem reignited scrutiny of his past.
The contention has divided progressives and party insiders, with some hailing Platner as an outsider unafraid to speak bluntly and others warning he could become a political liability. Platner told the Associated Press he chose to cover the tattoo with a new design rather than remove it, citing limited options for removal in rural Maine.
“Going to a tattoo removal place is going to take a while,” he said. “I wanted this thing off my body.”
Years ago I got a skull and crossbones tattoo with my buddies in the Marine Corps.
I was appalled to learn it closely resembled a Nazi symbol. I altered it yesterday, into something that isn’t deeply offensive to my core beliefs.
Platner’s scandal broke just days after Democratic Gov. Janet Mills entered the Senate race, reportedly after urging from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
Schumer, a key power broker in the party, has distanced himself from Platner. When asked Tuesday whether the scandal should disqualify the candidate, he said he’d “let the people of Maine decide.”
Both Mills and Platner are seeking to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race that could determine control of the Senate.
“We think that Janet Mills is the best candidate to retire Susan Collins,” Schumer said. “She’s a tested two-term governor, and the people of Maine have an enormous amount of affection and respect for her.”
Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin called Platner’s past “indefensible, hurtful and offensive,” but said they were not “disqualifying.”
Ari Drennen, LGBTQ program director at Media Matters, mocked Platner’s wedding video in a post on X, writing, “Honestly, ‘my wedding gift to my brother was me doing a shirtless lip sync’ is in itself a pretty big red flag.”
Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, however, has continued to defend Platner, reaffirming his support Tuesday when asked about the tattoo scandal and citing his long relationship with the former Sanders campaign supporter, according to Politico.
“Look, I understand this whole platoon — I don’t know too much about it — got inebriated,” Sanders told the outlet. “He went through a dark period. He’s not the only one in America who has gone through a dark period. People go through that. He has apologized for the stupid remarks, the hurtful remarks that he made, and I’m confident that he’s going to run a great campaign and that he’s going to win.”
Krystal Ball, cohost of the “Breaking Points” podcast, also defended Platner in an X post, siding with the Maine candidate’s anti-establishment posture.
“For me personally I’ll take a candidate with a regrettable tattoo over one who has steadfastly supported a genocide.”
Mills has previously spoken about antisemitism at events such as a December 2024 gathering hosted by the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, according to WGME 13 News.
She expressed strong support for Maine’s Jewish community amid the conflict in the Middle East and criticized municipal leaders in Belfast and Portland for voting to divest from Israel.
“I can say that I hear you, and I can tell you I will not support any similar divestments at the state level should any such legislation reach my desk,” Mills said.
Not to overstate it, but this is a crucial moment for the Democratic Party. If they decide that normal people with some small skeletons in their closet (or inked on their chest) are not welcome, they are finished
Emma Vigeland, cohost of “The Majority Report,” criticized efforts by establishment Democrats to sideline Platner, arguing that party elites selectively forgive misconduct when it involves “corporate centrists” such as former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“Censorious, hall monitor liberalism that refuses to accept growth in people — unless you’re a corporate centrist and all is forgiven, just ask Cuomo supporters — is far more of a threat to the Democratic Party’s chances in the future than anything dug up on Graham Platner.”
https://drrichswier.com/wp-content/uploads/Democrats-Are-Being-Torn-Apart-DC.jpg342640The Daily Callerhttp://drrich.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/logo_264x69.pngThe Daily Caller2025-10-23 11:12:362025-10-24 07:52:19Democrats Are Being Torn Apart By Graham Platner’s Sh*tposting
