Democrat Graham Platner is attracting support for his Maine Senate campaign from voters willing to forgive his past transgressions and embrace his populist message.

KITTERY, Maine (AP) — There are lots of questions about Graham Platner, a first-time Democratic candidate running for U.S. Senate in Maine. Now they are also part of a trivia game.

“What was the nature of the controversy of Graham’s tattoo he received while in the Marines?” an emcee recently asked at a local community center.

The answer? “It was claimed to be a Neo-Nazi tattoo (totenkopf).”

This was not a new way of delivering opposition research, but an official campaign event for Platner’s supporters. And it showed how the 41-year-old oyster farmer and military veteran has capitalized on voters’ willingness to forgive past transgressions and embrace a populist message.

    • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.worldOP
      11·
      2 days ago

      That’s an oversimplification, I think. There are a hundred material differences between the two. Further, if Platner were another Fetterman, he certainly wouldn’t be running as a progressive, because that sets him against both parties even if he is calling himself a Democrat.

      As for being a Nazi, I don’t think that’s accurate either. One can’t really know for sure outside Platner’s own mind, but it’s probably more fair to say he was a bit of an edgy douche when he was younger. After all, it’s easier to get elected as a Nazi in America than it is to get elected as a progressive.