Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner pledges to get arrested if Democrats fail to seize Senate control despite his victory over incumbent Susan Collins. The 41-year-old Democrat, now the presumptive nominee after Governor Janet Mills exited the race, made the unusual promise during a recent town hall event.
Unconventional Activism Pledge
Platner stated he would join protests and picket lines as part of a minority Democratic Party. “If we don’t get the majority and things continue to get worse, I will promise you that I’m going to be arrested as a United States senator,” he declared. He wore a sweater emblazoned with “neat,” a phrase popular among anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement demonstrators referring to straight liquor.
Platner campaigns on pro-LGBTQ rights, Medicare for All, and ending foreign wars. He commits to activism regardless of the Senate outcome. If Democrats regain control, he plans to issue subpoenas to Trump administration officials daily, forcing testimony on alleged lawbreaking. “We haul everyone in the White House under subpoena, day in, day out, in front of Senate committees to answer questions about all the lawbreaking they’ve been doing,” Platner said.
He also aims to build a case for impeaching and removing two Republican Supreme Court justices.
Nazi-Linked Tattoo Controversy
Platner drew bipartisan criticism over a “Totenkopf” tattoo on his chest, a symbol associated with the Nazis’ paramilitary SS wing. A video captured him drunk and shirtless displaying the ink. He explained getting it impulsively in 2007 while visiting a tattoo parlor in Split, Croatia, with Marine Corps friends, unaware of its significance.
“I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that – and to insinuate that I did is disgusting. I already had the tattoo covered with a new design,” Platner stated. He revealed a replacement featuring a Celtic knot with dog imagery, reflecting his and his wife Amy’s love for dogs.
Platner dismisses the tattoo stories as an establishment effort to undermine his candidacy, noting they surfaced soon after a rival entered the race.
Reddit Posts Spark Backlash
Older Reddit comments also fueled outrage, including queries about why “black people don’t tip” and advice for women in the Army to watch their drinking to avoid rape. Platner attributed the 2013 posts to his recent infantry experience in an all-male unit with limited professional interactions with women.
Rising Campaign Amid Scandals
Before the scandals, Platner gained traction as a blue-collar Democrat appealing to working-class voters in rural Maine. Large crowds attended his town halls, and his social media presence boosted his profile as a progressive figure challenging oligarchy and corporate greed.
Republicans anticipate exploiting the controversies in the general election. A GOP Senate caucus Super PAC spokesman remarked, “It’s a good thing Graham Platner isn’t a real oysterman from Maine because he’ll no longer be able to live in the state after we thoroughly beat the sh*t out of him.”
