# Are there any reasons to reject Graham Platner in Maine (campaign suspended July 8, 2026) **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [March 4, 2026, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179 "2026-03-04T03:50:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 36
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/703 "2026-06-04T19:14:16Z")
I see that Kyle Kulinski is furiously tweeting trying to get ahead of something that’s about to come out about Platner in the NYT. Possibly an SA allegation. Gee, if he keeps this up, he’s gonna give people with Nazi tattoos a bad name! > Speaking of his Nazi tattoo, the funniest part about his Kik betoweled profile pic is that he’s hiding his Totenkopf tattoo with his hand in the picture. I guess he figured he’d have a hard time attracting Zoomer girls to sext with if they saw his Nazi tattoo. ---
**Author:** ![ZosterSandstorm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e0b2c6/32.png) [@ZosterSandstorm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZosterSandstorm)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/704 "2026-06-04T21:09:27Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And it was important to vote for the crook because the alternative was a white supremacist. “Vote for the congenitally lying workshy Nazi rich kid disabilty fraudster who roughs up his girlfriends and uses an app overrun with pedophiles to cheat on his wife when he’s not posting about how much he loves killing people. It’s important.” We’re gonna need a wider bumper sticker… > [@Babale](#): > > I see that Kyle Kulinski is furiously tweeting trying to get ahead of something that’s about to come out about Platner in the NYT. Possibly an SA allegation. Gee, if he keeps this up, he’s gonna give people with Nazi tattoos a bad name! I wonder why the Very Sincere Democrat Who Wants Democrats To Win dates so many “right-wing operatives.” Must be another one of those coincidences, like when someone with hundreds of posts on a Reddit board about WW2 minutiae got a random tattoo and it happened to be an SS symbol he didn’t recognize. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/705 "2026-06-04T23:58:23Z")
> [@ZosterSandstorm](#): > > Vote for the congenitally lying workshy Nazi rich kid disabilty fraudster who roughs up his girlfriends and uses an app overrun with pedophiles to cheat on his wife when he’s not posting about how much he loves killing people. It’s important.” He is not rich, nor is there any disability fraud, nor does he abuse women. And he wife says it isnt cheating. In fact we disproved two of these allegations right here. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/706 "2026-06-05T00:44:54Z")
Did you ever address the issue of why, if his tattoo is so obviously a Nazi symbol, he was walking around shirtless at his brother’s wedding reception, his brother having just married into a Jewish family, and nobody seems to have commented? Kind of says to me that it was just a nondescript smudge in real life, just as in the photo. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/707 "2026-06-05T01:08:41Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > Did you ever address the issue of why, if his tattoo is so obviously a Nazi symbol, he was walking around shirtless at his brother’s wedding reception, his brother having just married into a Jewish family, and nobody seems to have commented? Maybe his brother, unlike him, isn’t a WWII history buff. Did Platner ever address the issue of why, after he posted in a Reddit thread about totenkopfs, he claimed to not know what one was until a decade later? Or why, if that posting wasn’t actually evidence that he knew about it, why he deleted it? ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/708 "2026-06-05T01:48:10Z")
I mean, I’m Jewish, but until this guy hit the news, I’d never heard of or seen a totemkopf. And if he got it not knowing what it was, and then found out it was an obscure Nazi symbol, but _also_ was a symbol of his bond with the guys he went to get tattoos with, i can see keeping it. Especially since none of his friends or family knew it had a darker meaning. I feel like none of these stories are disqualifying by themselves. I’m more concerned by the racist and sexist comments he made. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/709 "2026-06-05T02:29:34Z")
There is [nothing to see here, people](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5911225-graham-platner-denies-new-allegations/) - move along. > [@](#): > > MS NOW’S [Chris Hayes](https://thehill.com/people/chris-hayes/)pressed the Senate candidate about Fifield’s account: “You did not grab her by the wrist. You did not put your hands on her shoulders. You did not push her into a room that you closed the door on. She’s lying about that, that’s what you’re saying?” > > “Yes, that is not true,” Platner said. > > Fifield also alleged to the Times that Platner knew [before controversy swelled last year](https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5572407-platner-nazi-tattoo-controversy/) that his now-covered-up tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol. Fifield told the outlet that he reportedly referred to the tattoo as “my Totenkopf.” Platner seems to have the women’s vote locked up now. If more past girlfriends and female acquaintances come forward to report bad behavior on his part and that he had a schnauzer named Totenkopf, we’ll know that it’s all lies. > [@Smapti](#): > > Honestly, I’m half-convinced at this point that the Democratic Party leadership is trying to sabotage Platner because they’d rather let Republicans keep the Senate than let progressives get elected and have people expect them to actually do things to help common people instead of kissing up to corporate interests and AIPAC. Yes, that’s why the Democratic Party leadership (Schumer and Warren, also Bernie Sanders) have all endorsed Platner. They know that their endorsement is the kiss of death. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/710 "2026-06-05T02:40:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Maybe his brother, unlike him, isn’t a WWII history buff. I was looking for something that says Plater is some sort of WW2 history expert or buff, but I am not coming up with anything. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > If more past girlfriends and female acquaintances come forward to report bad behavior on his part From your cite- > [The New York Times](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/us/politics/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html) reported on Thursday that Lyndsey Fifield, a Virginia conservative who reported dating Platner from 2013 to 2015, said that Platner would discuss violence and could be rough with her, though she clarified that he did not hit or punch her. Note that _Lyndsey Fifield, a Virginia conservative_ And that he never hit her. And he denies it. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/711 "2026-06-05T02:50:14Z")
He [apparently denied this, too](https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jun/04/graham-platner-maine-new-york-times-report). > [@](#): > > Fifield further recalled that Platner would sharpen an axe while watching TV, and left an AR-15 lying around in his Washington apartment. She said he described women as “hatchet wounds”, a crude reference to female anatomy, and repeatedly asserted: “If anybody ever broke in here, I would rape them,” adding that this would not be in “a sexual way, not in a gay way”. > > Fifield told the paper: “He was like, I would rape them to show them that I’m dominant.” Gotta be made up, right? And the other women quoted in the article must be lying as well. > [@](#): > > The New York Times cited critical comments from two other women. Jenny Racicot, 41, a Democrat from Maine, who said she dated Platner from 2019 to 2021, told the paper: “When I saw the old comments that he made online, I recognized a version of him that I had experiences with.” > > A third woman, also a Democrat from Maine, who wished to remain anonymous, echoed the accounts of heavy drinking and being unfaithful and said she felt like “collateral damage to the world that is his”. Obviously an NYT hatchet job, except > [@](#): > > Three other women who dated Platner gave more positive accounts to the Times, praising him as a caring and charming partner. See, the campaign is _not_ crashing. Some of its planes are landing safely. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/712 "2026-06-05T02:55:38Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Gotta be made up, right? > [@DrDeth](#): > > Note that _Lyndsey Fifield, a Virginia conservative_ You have not heard of the Republican lie and propaganda machine, aided by the Kremlin? And note that > [@Jackmannii](#): > > n. Jenny Racicot, 41, a Democrat from Maine, who said she dated Platner from 2019 to 2021 > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Jenny Racicot, 41, a Democrat from Maine, who said she dated Platner from 2019 to 2021, told the paper: “When I saw the old comments that he made online, I recognized a version of him that I had experiences with.” Isnt really that critical. > [@Jackmannii](#): > > Three other women who dated Platner gave more positive accounts to the Times, praising him as a caring and charming partner. Right. You know, generally an EX-girlfriend (or boyfriend) rarely gives good reviews. There is often rancor and anger over the breakup. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/713 "2026-06-05T03:03:31Z")
The interesting thing about Platner having problematic attitudes about women is that Susan Collins started dating her current husband while he was still married to a woman who was dying of cancer. > > ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/714 "2026-06-05T03:43:16Z")
I guess part of my confusion is why the comments of 3 ex-girlfriends who have negative things to say about Platner outweigh the positive comments 3 different ex-girlfriends made to the Times. Particularly given that the one making the worst accusations is a known GOP, possibly MAGA, activist. And of course, it looks like Maine voters are sick of Collins and her kowtowing to DJT to such a degree that they STILL prefer Platner and his Progressive populism. The scandal machine is working overtime to destroy this guy. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/715 "2026-06-05T04:04:04Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > I guess part of my confusion is why the comments of 3 ex-girlfriends who have negative things to say about Platner outweigh the positive comments 3 different ex-girlfriends made to the Times. For the same reason people care more about the three banks you robbed over the three banks where you were a pleasant customer. Even when one of those banks is Wells Fargo. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/716 "2026-06-05T04:06:56Z")
Not the same. Sorry. There has to be evidence you robbed the banks, not just accusations. Particularly if the main witness may be biased. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/717 "2026-06-05T04:13:20Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > He doesn’t _have_ challengers at this point. The only other significant candidate dropped out because he was leading by 30 points. He is the presumptive nominee. That’s what I thought from you guys saying it here, but everyone on Bluesky is saying Mills is still in, and a quick Google shows this: > **[Gov. Mills reminds Maine voters she remains on Senate primary ballot](https://fox23maine.com/news/beyond-the-podium/gov-mills-reminds-maine-voters-she-remains-on-senate-primary-ballot-graham-platner-susan-collins-democrats-republicans-politics)** > > Mills suspended her campaign in late April, citing "financial resources" as the driving force behind the decision. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/718 "2026-06-05T04:23:03Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Fifield told the paper: “He was like, I would rape them to show them that I’m dominant.” > > Gotta be made up, right? If it was, you’d think he would deny it - but he has, in fact, not denied that particular claim. Not that I believe him when he denied things - such as that he knew what a Totenkopf was - but this claim about wanting to rape an intruder as a show of power, they specifically refused to deny, according to the NYT article. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/719 "2026-06-05T04:25:08Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Not the same. Sorry. > > There has to be evidence you robbed the banks, not just accusations. Particularly if the main witness may be biased. It’s amazing how quickly “believe all women” evaporates when it’s politically inconvenient… ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/720 "2026-06-05T04:26:32Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That’s what I thought from you guys saying it here, but everyone on Bluesky is saying Mills is still in, and a quick Google shows this: Mills is no longer campaigning but she’s still on the ballot (just like I could have voted for Swalwell here in California, in fact he was the first option on the ballot). If I was a Maine voter, that’s how I’d be voting in the primary. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/721 "2026-06-05T04:29:48Z")
> [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](#): > > Not the same. Sorry. > > There has to be evidence you robbed the banks, not just accusations. Particularly if the main witness may be biased. That equally applies to the three women who gave positive testimonials. Both are just based on these women’s word. The purpose of my analogy is that of course the negative claims matter more. Of course accusations of abuse matter more than people saying you were a good relationship partner. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2026, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179/722 "2026-06-05T04:34:49Z")
Republican swiftboating is working well. The “Nazi tattoo”. Enquiring minds might disagree. That said, have any of you looked at the amorphous blod that is exhibit A. Can’t tell jack from that. It’s not even a recognizable skull and crossbones, much less an intricate SS one of multiple designs. Certainally, it isn’t a death eagle with a certified swastika in it’s claws. Come on, sheeple, just a little critical judgement based on your own eyes rather than some spin machine. And, despite the spin machine, there has been zip beyond the tattoo to imply any kind of nazi-ism. So, a little critical thinking or just read some crap on the interwebs and accept that as fact. YMMV. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179.md?page=35) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-reasons-to-reject-graham-platner-in-maine-campaign-suspended-july-8-2026/1028179.md?page=37)