Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner is under fire for deleted Reddit posts from 2013 to 2021 that promote violence, express communist views, and include racist remarks. The 41-year-old veteran and oyster farmer has disavowed the comments as youthful indiscretions made during a period of disillusionment. The revelations come amid a competitive primary race against Governor Janet Mills to challenge Republican Senator Susan Collins.
Graham Platner, a U.S. Marine and Army veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, launched his Democratic Senate campaign in August 2025, positioning himself as a progressive outsider against incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins. As an oyster farmer and small business owner, Platner has drawn support from progressives, including an endorsement from Senator Bernie Sanders, and raised over $3 million in his first six weeks. He advocates for universal healthcare and restrictions on arms sales to Israel, and has hired Democratic strategist Morris Katz, who also consults for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Platner has secured endorsements from three labor unions, including the United Auto Workers, and rejects the "liberal" label while emphasizing his novice status to appeal to younger voters.
The campaign hit turbulence when CNN, Politico, and other outlets reported on Platner's deleted Reddit posts. In 2018 posts on the r/SocialistRA subreddit, under the username "P-Hustle," he wrote: "If people expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle, they ought to do some reading of history." In another, he stated: "An armed working class is a requirement for economic justice," agreeing with a 1914 quote from socialist Eugene V. Debs. He also called himself a "communist" and declared: "Bastards. Cops are bastards. All of them, in fact."
Earlier posts from 2013 included remarks on sexual assault, such as: "Rape is a real thing. If you’re so worried about it to buy Kevlar underwear you’d think you might not get blacked out f***ed up around people you aren’t comfortable with." The Bangor Daily News uncovered 2013 comments questioning why Black people "don’t tip," noting as a bartender: "Every now and again a black patron will leave a 15-20% tip, but usually it [is] between 0-5%. There’s got to be a reason behind it, what is it?" In 2021, on r/antiwork, he wrote: "I got older and became a communist."
Platner deleted the posts shortly before his campaign launch and told Politico and CNN: "I was fucking around on the internet at a time when I felt lost and very disillusioned with our government who sent me overseas to watch my friends die. I made dumb jokes and picked fights. But of course I’m not a socialist. I’m a small business owner, a Marine Corps veteran, and a retired shitposter." He added: "I don’t want people to see me for who I was in my worst internet comment … I don’t think any of that is indicative of who I am today."
Republicans seized on the posts amid rising concerns over political violence, including recent assassinations and inflammatory rhetoric in other races. The National Republican Senatorial Committee stated: "Graham Platner is a communist who supports violence against Republicans to promote his radical agenda. These posts are not just him messing around on the internet as he is trying to claim, they paint a very dark picture of a candidate not fit for office."
The primary field shifted when two-term Democratic Governor Janet Mills, 77, entered the race at the urging of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who sees her as the strongest contender to unseat Collins in the 2026 midterms. Mills, viewed as the establishment choice, prompted former candidate Dan Kleban to drop out and endorse her. Another contender, Jordan Wood, raised about $3 million in the third quarter. Collins, 72, a moderate who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee, won her 2020 race by over eight points despite polls showing her trailing.