Maine Voters Render Decision on Controversial Candidate with Nazi Tattoo in Key Election

Graham Platner, a first-time candidate with a controversial past, has clinched the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in Maine after a fiercely contested primary race.

According to the Associated Press, Platner secured a decisive victory, capturing 75 percent of the votes.

Meanwhile, incumbent Democratic Governor Janet Mills, who had previously suspended her campaign on April 30th, still managed to receive 18.8 percent of the vote. Despite withdrawing, her name remained on the ballot, and the results were announced at 9:23 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

Even as Platner faced intense scrutiny due to allegations of misconduct from former romantic partners, Mills chose not to re-enter the race. However, she did remind voters of her presence on the ballot.

In his victory speech from Blue Hill, Platner acknowledged his past controversies, reflecting on personal growth and resilience. He spoke of being “scarred by forever wars” and finding solace in a supportive community by the sea, which offered him “love and redemption.”

“Redemption is not just a simple or easy destination,” Platner remarked, admitting to past mistakes that he regrets and continues to learn from.

Democrats are hoping that Platner – an oyster farmer and Marine veteran dubbed one of the ‘rugged guys’ in the 2026 midterms – can win back working-class voters. 

He’s looking to upset Republican Senator Susan Collins in November, as the GOP aims to hold its margin in the US, which currently sits at 53 seats.

Last week, a poll fromUMass Lowell/YouGov had him at 48 percent to Collins’ 43 percent. And other polls have him up over the incumbent Senator.

Platner  – who was already under fire over a sexting scandal – left a trail of bad impressions with women he dated from both Washington, DC, and his home state of Maine, who spoke to the New York Times in an 11th-hour article released last week.

One woman who spoke about his aggressive behavior in an explosive piece in the New York Times was Lyndsey Fifield, who described several instances of physical intimidation she experienced with Platner. Fifield, who worked for the conservative Heritage Foundation, said the two were in a ‘two-year, on-again, off-again relationship.’

Despite insisting that he ‘never hit me, he never punched me,’ Fifield said that Platner could become aggressive, particularly when alcohol was involved.

She told The Times he would regularly grab her by the shoulders — sometimes leaving marks — and once pulled her from a taxi by her wrist during an argument.

Fifield also recalled an incident in which he twisted her arm behind her back, pushed her into a bedroom, and held the door shut, telling her to stay there until she was ‘calm.’

Reflecting on the encounter, Fifield said, ‘It hurt,’ but also told the Times, ‘It didn’t cause an injury, it didn’t break my arm.’

Platner’s campaign told the Daily Mail in a statement last week, ‘Let’s be very clear: This is a lifelong GOP operative who’s dedicated her career to electing Republicans.’

Another ex, Maine Democrat, Jenny Racicot, 41, described Platner’s behavior to the Times as ‘reckless’ and ‘unsettling.’

‘When I saw the old comments that he made online,’ she said, ‘I recognized a version of him that I had experiences with.’

A third woman, a Maine Democrat who asked not to be named, described the candidate as charismatic at times but also prone to heavy bouts of drinking.

Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner and his wife Amy Gertner

She said she felt like ‘collateral damage to the world that is his.’

In a statement shared with the Daily Mail by his campaign, Platner noted last week, ‘Throughout this campaign, I’ve been open about what was a very dark period of my life where I struggled with undiagnosed PTSD, too often self-medicated with alcohol, and was a far from perfect boyfriend.’

‘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.

Platner has faced numerous scandals since last fall, including the revelation of a Nazi tattoo that he has since covered up. Fifield also told the Times that Platner knew what the tattoo meant and called it ‘my Totenkopf.’

Fifield explained to the Times that Platner clearly stated his unit saw themselves as killing machines and drew a parallel with the Nazi Schutzstaffel, or S.S.

‘They literally, deliberately, selected it because it was relevant to their military unit,’ she said.

Controversial Reddit posts also emerged during the course of the campaign, which Platner himself has described as including ‘homophobic slurs, anti-LGBTQ+ jokes and sexually explicit stories denigrating gay men’ to the Advocate last year.

Another recent controversy stemmed from revelations that Platner texted other women sexually while married, and the discovery of a shirtless profile on Kik.

Platner has not denied the texts or the profile, describing the stories as ‘gossip’ and he and his wife have reaffirmed ‘a very happy marriage.’

The Daily Mail also exclusively reported last week that one of Platner’s top advisers, Daniel Moraff, once authored a ‘humorous’ essay that included sexual fantasies with Martin Luther King Jr and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Vermont’s Bernie Sanders and Massachusetts’ Elizabeth Warren are still backing Platner, and House Democrat Ro Khanna spoke at a rally for Platner last weekend.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer also told reporters on Tuesday that he met with Platner, adding, ‘we’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.’

Collins, the only Republican in the race, holds an independent streak that makes her both loved and feared.

She is also a Republican representing a state that was carried by Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris in 2024.