Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, has overhauled his campaign staff and implemented new compliance measures in response to recent controversies over his past social media posts. The changes include hiring a new manager and sending non-disclosure agreements to staffers. Despite the backlash, a recent poll shows Platner leading his primary rival.
Graham Platner, a Maine Senate candidate, is undergoing significant campaign restructuring amid fallout from controversial past social media activity. On October 22, 2025, Platner appeared at a town hall in Ogunquit, Maine, but behind the scenes, his team has brought in Kevin Brown as the new campaign manager this week. Brown, who previously worked on the presidential campaigns of Elizabeth Warren and Barack Obama, steps in as the campaign addresses compliance issues.
The shakeup also involves hiring an in-house attorney and the compliance firm Spruce Street Consulting, which has ties to progressive figures like Zohran Mamdani. Last week, the campaign began sending non-disclosure agreements to staffers following revelations about Platner's old Reddit posts, which included homophobic slurs, anti-LGBTQ+ jokes, sexually explicit stories denigrating gay men, a 2013 comment downplaying sexual assault in the military, and a since-deleted 2018 post suggesting violence is necessary for social change. Platner also confirmed regret over a Nazi symbol tattoo from 20 years ago.
Genevieve McDonald, Platner's former top political director who resigned last week citing the posts, declined to sign an NDA. "The campaign offered me $15,000 to sign a NDA," McDonald told POLITICO. "I did not accept the offer. I certainly could have used the money. I quit my job to work on Platner’s campaign, believing it was something different than it is." The campaign described the $15,000 as standard severance and noted that NDAs are not required for former staff. The NDA, titled “Graham for Maine NDA.pdf,” was sent by Victoria Perrone of Spruce Street and later voided on October 23, 2025.
Platner has apologized for the posts and tattoo, stating they do not reflect his recent growth. The controversies emerged shortly after Gov. Janet Mills entered the Democratic primary to challenge Sen. Susan Collins. A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released October 24, 2025, conducted amid the initial revelations, showed Platner leading Mills 58 percent to 24 percent among first-choice votes in Maine's ranked-choice system, with strong support from younger voters. Both candidates maintain positive favorability among likely Democratic primary voters.
These moves highlight the rapid rise and challenges for Platner's campaign, launched months ago with viral videos promoting dignity and joy for Mainers.