Graham Platner wins Democratic primary for key Senate seat despite scandals over Nazi tattoo and ‘unsettling’ behavior toward women

The battle for control of the United States Senate begins in Maine. If Democrats want to take the upper house from Republicans in the upcoming November 3 midterm election, they cannot lose in this northeastern state, famous for its lobster industry and for producing the writer Stephen King. Republican Senator Susan Collins, who has sometimes been critical of President Donald Trump, is running for re-election and polls place her in a weak position. Graham Platner, a political newcomer, seemed like the right man for the job—until criticism from at least three women he had relationships with, as well as new details about a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he got years ago, began to cast doubt on his suitability. Despite these shadows, Platner won the Democratic primary this Tuesday, making him the official Senate candidate for the midterms.

For some time Democrats—widely criticized by broad swaths of the U.S. public, who see them as snobbish and out of touch with ordinary people’s problems—have been looking for candidates who could represent those at the bottom: people without high-paying jobs or advanced degrees who struggle to make ends meet. Platner, a progressive with a reputation as an everyman, a war veteran who has worked as an oyster farmer, seemed to be one of those ideal contenders. In the race for the Democratic nomination he even beat Governor Janet Mills, a representative of the party establishment aligned with Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Media outlets give Platner roughly 75% of the vote. That is a very high percentage, but it shows that the press revelations hurt him, indicating a pocket of discontent.

At age 41, Platner seemed to be the man Democrats had been seeking—until a trickle of scandals emerged in recent days. Faced with these accusations, Democrats have split. Some have expressed concern about the revelations, while others have downplayed them, arguing that they stem from a Republican campaign worried about losing a key Senate seat. That group points to the fact that one of the women who criticized Platner is a conservative who has worked on Republican campaigns. The problem is she is not alone. In addition to her, two other women who had romantic relationships with Platner describe relationships that were sometimes “volatile” and featured “unsettling” behavior, according to reporting by The New York Times.

Depression and alcohol

The Senate candidate had already spoken candidly about the problems his military service had caused him, including episodes of post-traumatic stress, depression and excessive alcohol use. He said that things he had done in the past—such as getting a Nazi tattoo, although he claimed he did not know its meaning—did not reflect the Platner of today. The problem is the revelations grew more damaging as the press dug deeper.

The three women who spoke to the Times describe a person who could be charming and charismatic, but who also belittled women. In at least one case, he reportedly made physical threats. Lyndsey Fifield, a conservative who has worked for right-wing organizations, said Platner lied when he said he did not know the meaning of the tattoo until it became a campaign issue; she said he called it his “Totenkopf” (German for death’s head), a claim his campaign team categorically denies.

“Far too often I self-medicated with alcohol. I was far from the perfect boyfriend during a very dark period of my life,” Platner said in a statement to The New York Times. “I take responsibility for all of that, and wish I had been better. Any characterization beyond that is false, and I believe, politically motivated. I’m not proud of who I was then, but I am proud of the work I’ve done since, and the movement we are building in Maine,” he added. He now has to convince voters across the state to forget these youthful sins and send him to the Senate on November 3.

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