Who is Graham Platner, Maine's Senate candidate and why is he in the national spotlight?
Graham Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer from Maine who is running as the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, is currently in the national spotlight due to Reddit posts from 2018 and a tattoo of a skull-and-crossbones , which is associated with Nazi symbolism.
When he launched his campaign in August, the 41-year-old former Marine and combat veteran presented himself as a defender against “the oligarchy” of billionaires and “corrupt politicians.” He also raised $3.25 million in the first six weeks of his campaign, according to Reuters, and secured the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) .
With less than two weeks until Election Day, here’s what you need to know about Platner.
Who is Graham Platner?
Platner was born and raised in Maine near Acadia National Park in the northern part of the state. According to the Maine Morning Star , he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps after high school and served four tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Following his time in the armed forces, Platner attended George Washington University on the G.I. Bill before enrolling in the Army National Guard and serving in Afghanistan.
After his time in the military, Platner moved back to Maine to work on an oyster farm, which he now runs. In an interview with NBC News , Platner said his time in the military shaped his political perspectives, which carried over to his campaign for the U.S. Senate.
“If we focus primarily on fighting for working-class values, fighting for policies that help working-class people, clawing back a lot of the power that has been consolidated in the kind of higher establishment-class politics, I think if you stick to that stuff, you can win,” Platner said.
In an interview on Pod Save America earlier this week, Platner acknowledged and apologized for his prior social media posts , saying he wrote them during a dark time in his life, after his final tour in Afghanistan in 2018.
The Democratic candidate also revealed a new tattoo to cover the old one on Instagram, saying he was “appalled to learn it closely resembled a Nazi symbol.”
Sanders reaffirmed his support for Platner despite the controversies, NBC News reported .
“He was a Marine, four tours of duty,” Sanders said. “He saw friends die. He came out of that war, as he has acknowledged, with PTSD, got good treatment at the VA, got his life together.”
Contributing: Margie Cullen/USA TODAY Network - New England
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Graham Platner, Maine's Democratic candidate for Senate
