Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner’s attempt to gain coverage from Barstool Sports was rejected by founder Dave Portnoy, who cited a controversial tattoo. The exchange followed Platner’s ad criticizing private equity’s role in Red Sox ownership.
The ad, which aired during a Red Sox broadcast on NESN before being pulled, attacked private equity firms for impacting homes, hospitals and local businesses. Platner posted on X that the ad was removed midway through the game by the station owned by the Red Sox organization. His team had emailed Barstool to promote the campaign’s message against Red Sox owner John Henry and private equity interests.
