{"id":2611608,"date":"2026-06-07T08:26:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T12:26:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-scandals-maine-senate-candidate-graham-platner-is-facing\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T08:27:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T12:27:52","slug":"four-scandals-maine-senate-candidate-graham-platner-is-facing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/four-scandals-maine-senate-candidate-graham-platner-is-facing\/","title":{"rendered":"Four scandals Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ffour-scandals-maine-senate-candidate-graham-platner-is-facing%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2611608&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Graham Platner, a Democratic Senate nominee in Maine adn an oyster farmer and Marine Corps veteran, is facing several recurring controversies as the state\u2019s June 9 primary approaches. despite the scandals, progressives-including Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna-continue to back him while he runs against incumbent Sen. Susan Collins.<\/p>\n<p>The article highlights four main issues:<\/p>\n<p>1) **Extramarital sexually explicit texts:** Reports say Platner sent explicit messages to multiple women while married.His wife, Amy Gertner, defended their marriage and said they addressed the issue through counseling. Platner dismissed the coverage as \u201cgossip\u201d rather than policy, while several Democrats expressed \u201cconcerns\u201d or said he made mistakes but did not fully cut ties.<\/p>\n<p>2) **A Nazi-related tattoo:** Questions arose about chest ink resembling the Nazi \u201cDeath\u2019s Head\u201d symbol. Platner claims he didn\u2019t no its meaning when he got it in his 20s and says it was chosen for its skull-and-crossbones look.While some progressives defended him, Rep. Jake Auchincloss refused to endorse him, calling the tattoo and his explanation personally disqualifying. A New York Times report also alleged his ex-girlfriend said he referred to it with a specific Nazi-related term; Platner denied knowing its meaning and accused her of leaking.<\/p>\n<p>3) **Ex-girlfriends allege unsettling behavior:** A New York Times investigation featured three women who described emotional abuse and volatile behavior, including alleged physical roughness. Platner denies the allegations as false and politically motivated. One accuser says the story was shaped in a way that benefited his campaign, while others-including Khanna-criticized Platner\u2019s past relationships but also said he took accountability.<\/p>\n<p>4) **Old online and social media posts:** Earlier pro-communist and racially or law-enforcement critical comments resurfaced from platforms like Reddit. The DNC chair said the remarks were indefensible but also referenced Platner\u2019s PTSD and his claim that he has grown and changed as making the posts.<\/p>\n<p>the piece portrays Platner as still consolidating support from parts of the progressive wing even as Democrats and some party allies signal discomfort with different parts of his record.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/maine\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"193\">Maine<\/a> is less than one week away from primary Election Day as Democratic Senate candidate <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/graham-platner\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"22643\">Graham Platner<\/a> seems poised to pick up his party\u2019s nomination despite several mounting <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/scandals\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1926\">scandals<\/a> connected to his name.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner, an oyster farmer and Marine Corps veteran, has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/disneys-bad-week-gets-worse-fcc-chairman-reveals-impending-investigation\/\" title=\"Disney&#039;s Bad Week Gets Worse: FCC Chairman Reveals Impending Investigation\">faced multiple controversies<\/a> since announcing his populist campaign for Maine\u2019s U.S. Senate seat last August. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4596773\/graham-platner-rise-mamdani-moraff-katz-fan\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>From a Mamdani guru to a card-carrying Democratic Socialist, here\u2019s who\u2019s helping Platner<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4597893\/trump-alabama-back-barry-moore-gop-senate-primary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump urges Alabama to back Barry Moore as polls show tight GOP Senate primary<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4597934\/democrats-think-platner-can-move-past-this\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Democrats think Platner can \u2018say he\u2019s sorry and move past this\u2019: Byron York<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The leftist oyster farmer is backed by progressives like Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"41\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT) and Rep.<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ro-khanna\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5039\"> Ro Khanna<\/a> (D-CA) who have stuck with him and his candidacy throughout each controversy as Platner seeks to take on incumbent Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/susan-collins\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1302\">Susan Collins<\/a> (R-ME) in the November general election. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s what to know about the scandals that have come Platner\u2019s way ahead of Maine\u2019s June 9 primary and his response to each:<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-1-extramarital-sexually-explicit-text-messages\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Extramarital Sexually-Explicit Text Messages<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the weekend, news broke that Platner had sent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wall-street-journal-embraces-book-ban-hoax\/\" title=\"Wall Street Journal Falls for &#039;Book Ban&#039; Hoax\">sexually explicit text messages<\/a> to multiple women while he was married to his wife, Amy Gertner. Gertner had warned Platner\u2019s then-political director last summer that her husband had sent the messages to make sure the campaign was aware of them. When the news came out this week, Gertner defended Platner and their marriage.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe did the hard work that marriage requires. We went to counseling. We were honest with each other in ways that weren\u2019t easy,\u201d Gernter said in a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/politics\/elections\/graham-platners-wife-flagged-sexually-explicit-texts-to-his-senate-campaign-628ec832\">statement<\/a> given to the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em>. \u201cAnd we came through it, not in spite of how much we\u2019ve been through, but because of how much we love each other and the life we\u2019ve built. Our marriage today is stronger than ever before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wmtw.com\/article\/graham-platner-slams-alleged-sexting-scandal-as-gossip-and-journalistic-malpractice\/71453038\">dismissed the reports<\/a> about the messages on Sunday as the media talking about \u201cgossip\u201d instead of policy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have a very loving and very happy marriage. They would very much like to try to rip that apart. They\u2019re going to come after us in every awful way that they possibly can, and we\u2019re just going to keep talking about the fact that the hospitals are closing, the fact that child care facilities are closing, the fact that teachers and nurses aren\u2019t paid enough and the fact that everybody down here continues to work harder and longer and get less,\u201d Platner said at a campaign event this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As Platner and Gertner defend their marriage, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said he has \u201cconcerns\u201d about the situation in an ABC News interview on Sunday. Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chris-murphy\/\">Chris Murphy<\/a> (D-CT) said that <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4588750\/chris-murphy-graham-platner-texts\/\">Platner \u201cmade mistakes\u201d<\/a> but defended his character and touted his military service.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cYeah, I have concerns,\u201d Booker said. \u201cThat guy has questions to answer, and that\u2019s what campaigns are for.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic leadership <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4591938\/graham-platner-makes-senate-democrats-squirm-blitz-dc\/\">largely stood by<\/a> Platner after the scandal earlier this week, with Senate Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"384\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY) and others meeting with the candidate, though <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4592115\/schumer-graham-platner-meeting-senate\/\">Schumer was mum<\/a> on the meeting\u2019s details.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4591938\/graham-platner-makes-senate-democrats-squirm-blitz-dc\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4591938\/graham-platner-makes-senate-democrats-squirm-blitz-dc\/\">GRAHAM PLATNER MAKES SENATE DEMOCRATS SQUIRM WITH BLITZ THROUGH DC<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-2-nazi-tattoo\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Nazi Tattoo<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In October 2025, Platner began to face questions about the story behind a tattoo on his chest that closely resembled the Nazi\u2019s infamous Death\u2019s Head symbol when images broke of the candidate\u2019s controversial ink. Adolf Hitler\u2019s SS-Totenkopfverb\u00e4nde, the unit responsible for the Nazi\u2019s concentration camps, used the Death\u2019s Head symbol during the Holocaust. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner has maintained that he did not know the meaning behind the symbol, telling the public that he received the tattoo in his 20s while drinking with his fellow Marines. Platner has said he and his friends chose the tattoo because it was \u201ca terrifying looking skull and crossbones\u201d and said that he is <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3858840\/maine-senate-graham-platner-nazi-tattoo\/\">\u201cnot a secret Nazi<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDid anybody ever once say \u2014 \u2018Hey, you\u2019re a Nazi.\u2019 It never came up until we got wind that in the opposition research, somebody was shopping the idea that I was a secret Nazi with a hidden Nazi tattoo,\u201d Platner <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3858840\/maine-senate-graham-platner-nazi-tattoo\/\">said<\/a> in an October <em>Pod Save America<\/em> interview.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While progressive lawmakers like Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/bernie-sanders\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"41\">Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-VT) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/10\/22\/media-coverage-sanders-planter\">stuck by Platner<\/a> in the face of the controversy, Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) bucked his party\u2019s own nominee, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4581699\/dem-jake-auchincloss-refuses-endorse-platner-disqualifying-tattoo\/\">refusing to endorse Platner over the tattoo<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI find that tattoo and his commentary about it to be personally disqualifying,\u201d Auchincloss said in a CNN <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4581699\/dem-jake-auchincloss-refuses-endorse-platner-disqualifying-tattoo\/\">interview<\/a>. \u201cI hope Maine voters agree with me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/04\/us\/politics\/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/06\/04\/us\/politics\/platner-maine-senate-girlfriends-relationships.html\"><em>New York Times<\/em><\/a>  article released earlier this week, his ex-girlfriend Lyndsey Fifield claimed Platner referred to the tattoo as \u201cmy Totenkopf\u201d while they were dating. Platner\u2019s campaign denied that he knew the meaning of the tattoo in a statement to the outlet. He subsequently accused Fifield of leaking the earlier information about the tattoo in an interview with MS Now. Fifield confirmed that was the case, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lyndseyfifield\/status\/2062808677451481364\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lyndseyfifield\/status\/2062808677451481364\">adding in a social media post<\/a> that she was \u201cterrified he would find out it was me.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-3-platner-s-ex-girlfriends-accuse-him-of-unsettling-behavior\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Platner\u2019s ex-girlfriends accuse him of \u201cunsettling\u201d behavior<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Three women who previously dated Graham Platner accused the Senate candidate of \u201cunsettling\u201d emotional abuse and volatile, toxic behavior in a bombshell <em>New York Times <\/em>report that broke on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the women, Fifield, said that though Platner never hit her, he could be physically rough and did regularly grab her shoulders, once forcefully grabbing her by the wrist after an argument.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4596470\/platner-accuser-lyndsey-fifield-new-york-times-journalists-twisted-story-help-campaign\/\" type=\"post\" id=\"4596470\">GRAHAM PLATNER ACCUSER SAYS NEW YORK TIMES JOURNALISTS \u2018TWISTED\u2019 HER STORY TO HELP HIS CAMPAIGN<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner denied the allegations made in the report in an interview on MS NOW Thursday evening and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4597629\/platner-bar-harbor-rally-controversies-khanna\/\">during his Friday night rally<\/a> in Bar Harbor, calling them \u201cpolitically motivated, serious, and false.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere are some allegations in this piece that I just want to be kind of unequivocal about are simply not true,\u201d Platner told the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4596217\/graham-platner-women-abuse-allegations\/\">outlet<\/a>. \u201cAnything alleging physicality, anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was, these are the statements of someone who\u2019s politically motivated.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But on the opposite end of the spectrum, Fifield panned the <em>New York Times<\/em> report as a \u201cgift\u201d to Platner\u2019s campaign, accusing the outlet of \u201cviolating the trust of his victims.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis really was a setup all along,\u201d Fifield wrote<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lyndseyfifield\/status\/2062808679829704815\"> i<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lyndseyfifield\/status\/2062808679829704815\">n an X p<\/a><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/lyndseyfifield\/status\/2062808679829704815\">ost<\/a>. \u201cThe journalists I trusted who convinced me to share a story I never wanted to tell methodically delayed and twisted this into a gift to the Platner campaign. Violating the trust of his victims. Shattering the trust I placed in them with the most vulnerable story of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ro-khanna\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"5039\">Ro Khanna<\/a> (D-CA) appeared with Platner at the rally on Friday, but also blasted his \u201ctoxic and volatile\u201d past, referring to the <em>New York Times<\/em> report.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cNo one should make excuses for his past relationships, some of which were toxic and volatile, and no one on our side should attack the women who came forward,\u201d Khanna said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDemocrats believe in respecting the equality and the dignity of women, and we always will,\u201d Khanna continued. \u201cAnd we reject, unequivocally, misogyny. We reject it. And you know, who else rejects it? Graham Platner. He understood that those years that he came back were not the best years of his life. He was ashamed of some of the things he said and did, and then he, unlike others, took accountability for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-4-online-and-social-media-posts\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Online and social media posts<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first scandal of the campaign to hit Platner was when <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3862892\/platner-rebuilds-campaign-after-setbacks-blames-party-leadership\/\">old online posts<\/a> he made on platforms like Reddit surfaced and were connected to his accounts. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner had <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >made multiple pro-communism comments<\/a> and several comments against white people and law enforcement on social media. In the since-deleted comments, Platner had called police officers \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3884042\/graham-platner-online-posts-put-democrat-in-deep-water-poll\/\">bastards<\/a>\u201d in the wake of George Floyd\u2019s murder and said things like \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3856438\/ken-martin-graham-platner-posts-maine-senate\/\">expect to fight fascism<\/a> without a good semi-automatic rifle, they ought to do some reading of history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In October, Democratic National Committee chairman <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/3856438\/ken-martin-graham-platner-posts-maine-senate\/\">Ken Martin stood by<\/a> Platner, but said his comments were \u201cindefensible, they\u2019re hurtful, and they\u2019re offensive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner has pointed to his struggles with PTSD, saying he has grown from previous opinions he held.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m not going to minimize what has come out,\u201d Platner said during a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/grahamformaine\/status\/1981366262954434691\">campaign event<\/a> in October.\u00a0 \u201cI am not today, who I always have been. I used to hold different opinions. I used to use different language. I said things and believed things that today I find abhorrent \u2026 the more I realized that many of those stories and beliefs that I had were wrong, and I changed them, and it was through that journey that I became who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4588033\/graham-platner-question-armenia-genocide-reddit\/\"><strong>GRAHAM PLATNER QUESTIONED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN NOW-DELETED REDDIT COMMENTS: REPORT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Platner also alluded to the comments on Friday, telling the Bar Harbor crowd that Maine has had his back since the social media posts were first aired.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen hurtful things I said on the internet a decade ago came out into the public, as I shared my personal journey through PTSD and darkness of recovery and accountability and growth, Maine had my back,\u201d Platner said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maine is days from the primary as Democrat Graham Platner nears the nomination despite escalating scandals<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2611609,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP25295844858634.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[80958,65649,80959,45119,80957],"class_list":["post-2611608","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-campaign-controversies","tag-graham-platner","tag-legal-allegations","tag-maine-politics","tag-senate-scandal"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP25295844858634.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611608","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611608"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611608\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611612,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611608\/revisions\/2611612"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611608"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611608"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611608"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}