“Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s social media history is a major general election liability, a new Democratic polling memo warns,” Politico reports.

“The survey, conducted on behalf of the Democratic group EMILY’s List, finds that most voters wouldn’t support Platner over Republican Sen. Susan Collins after learning of his past social media posts in which he called himself a communist, denigrated the police and characterized white people in rural Maine as ‘stupid’ and ‘racist.’”

“When voters are read direct quotes from Platner’s since-deleted Reddit posts, he loses to Collins by double digits.”

Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) told NBC News he’s pushing ahead with his Senate race and insisted he’s a more “electable” candidate than Democratic rival Gov. Janet Mills.

Said Platner: “It is amusing for me to watch the campaign described in the media as collapsing or falling apart — when internally, we frankly have not felt this strong since the beginning.”

“The finance director for Graham Platner’s Senate campaign announced his resignation on Friday, the latest in a series of personnel departures for the Maine hopeful’s high-profile bid that has been marred by controversies over old social media posts and his tattoo with Nazi connotations,” Politico reports.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, 77, won’t commit to release her medical records in her 2026 bid for Senate, as her Democratic primary opponents call for a new generation of leadership in Congress, Axios reports.

Jonathan Chait: “Graham Platner is the perfect embodiment of the left’s strategy for returning to power…”

“Platner’s approach may yet work. He does possess charisma and a sympathetic background. Assuming he survives the primary next June, he would be running in a state that Kamala Harris won by seven points and that has not voted Republican in a presidential election since 1988. Democrats will almost certainly need to compromise with the electorate if they want to win majorities in both congressional chambers, but they might get away with not doing so in Maine.”

“But the reason Democrats are underdogs in this race is that its incumbent, Susan Collins, has won election after election by cultivating a reputation as a moderate, which illustrates the value of ideological moderation. So far, Platner is making little effort to do this.”

“Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s campaign manager is stepping down from his position,” Axios reports.

“Kevin Brown, a longtime friend of Platner’s who started as campaign manager last week, is leaving his role… Platner’s former political director, Genevieve McDonald, also previously departed the campaign.”

Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) has taken the lead over Democratic primary challenger Graham Platner in the 2026 Senate race, 41% to 36%, according to a SoCal Strategies Maine Poll.

Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) talked to The Atlantic about his controversial tattoo.

“He told me that after he got the tattoo, he had two full-body screenings for tattoos as a requirement for government work, including screening for ‘hate’ tattoos, in both the Army and as part of his State Department work, and that the skull was not flagged either time. He told me that members of his family are Jewish, and that he has had his shirt off around them many times without anyone objecting to the tattoo.”

Said Platner: “Eighteen years. It’s never come up.”

A new University of New Hampshire poll in Maine finds Graham Platner (D) leads Gov. Janet Mills (D) in the Democratic race for the U.S. Senate nomination, 58% to 24%.

Platner’s lead is fueled by self-described socialists and progressives along with young people.

Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D), who has already apologized for earlier misogynistic and racially insensitive remarks and said he did not realize that a tattoo on his chest resembled a Nazi SS emblem, is again under scrutiny, this time for anti-LGBTQ+ comments, the Advocate reports.

Platner confirmed that he authored a series of Reddit comments that include homophobic slurs, anti-LGBTQ+ jokes, and sexually explicit stories denigrating gay men.

Said Platner: “It’s indefensible.”

“His U.S. Senate campaign under fire, Maine Democrat Graham Platner said Wednesday that a tattoo on his chest has been covered to no longer reflect an image widely recognized as a Nazi symbol,” the AP reports.

“I am not a secret Nazi.”

— Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D), quoted by Jewish Insider, after after photos of his tattoo emerge.

Graham Platner, the embattled Maine Democratic Senate candidate, said he doesn’t expect more damaging stories to come out about his social media history, even as he invited opponents to “go find more stuff” if they can, Politico reports.

Said Platner: “There is nothing that I can remotely think of that is out there that is any worse, or really any different, than what has come out. I mean, if that is their concern, then they can go find more stuff.”

“The political director for Graham Platner’s U.S. Senate campaign resigned Friday after Platner’s past online posts featuring numerous controversial remarks resurfaced this week,” the Bangor Daily News reports.

In Reddit posts from 2013, Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) asked why Black people “don’t tip” and suggested people concerned about being raped shouldn’t be inebriated around people they don’t feel comfortable with, the Bangor Daily News reports.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reports Platner “responded dismissively to a cartoon about sexual assault in the military.”

“Graham Platner, who is running as an insurgent Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, once suggested in online posts that violence is a necessary means to achieving social change – comments now drawing scrutiny in an era of increased political violence,” Politico reports.

Graham Platner, a Marine veteran turned oyster farmer who is now a rising Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, once called himself a “communist,” dismissed “all” police as bastards, and said rural White Americans “actually are” racist and stupid, according to deleted social media posts reviewed by CNN.

Maine oyster farmer Graham Platner (D) criticized Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) as business as usual in the first candidate TV ad of the state’s marquee Senate race, Axios reports.

Says an older woman in the ad: “Janet Mills again? She was a good governor, but I think it’s time for change.”