Although he had previously acknowledged authoring a series of explicit, sometimes disturbing, social media posts, new details have emerged that bring Graham Platner, a Democratic Senate candidate from Maine, under even more intense scrutiny.
He had already faced backlash for, among other things, a tattoo critics say depicted a symbol used by Nazis.
Fox News reported on the latest developments:
In one March 2017 post on Reddit’s r/Military forum, Platner responded to a discussion about nostalgic military smells by writing: “I still have to jerk off every time I sit in a portas—-er… that blue water smell conditioned me.”
ADVERTISEMENTThe archived posts were made under “P-Hustle,” a now-deleted Reddit account that Platner previously acknowledged was his.
In another post from March 2021 on Reddit’s r/USMC forum, Platner described a crude penis drawing inside a portable toilet while deployed overseas.
Responding to a thread dedicated to so-called “GWOT Dick Art,” Platner launched into an extended monologue praising the explicit graffiti in unusually vivid terms, calling it “beautiful,” “engorged and veiny,” and moving “towards its penetrative glory.”
“Oh s—!!!,” Platner wrote. “You’ve got the Hot Rod C— from Manas!”
Manas was a major U.S. military transit hub in Kyrgyzstan used during the wars in Afghanistan. Platner enlisted in the Marines in 2003 and served three combat tours in Iraq. In 2010, he joined the Maryland Army National Guard for a fourth tour, serving in the infantry in Afghanistan. He returned to Afghanistan eight years later as a security contractor.
The X-rated content continued, and the candidate’s extracurricular interests fueled some additional social media criticism:
The sad thing is that this will probably make him more popular with his base and Democrats in general. All they care about is power, so they will turn a blind eye to reprehensible comments from the candidates they support.
— Nathaniel Hawthorne's Ghost (@Hawthorne_Ghost) May 19, 2026
So not only is Platner a nazi, he's also a sexual deviant.
Maine can do MUCH better than that asshole. pic.twitter.com/mEGxFxsWPU
— Billy Bob (@The_Real_Solyad) May 19, 2026
To be fair, though, the reaction wasn’t universally condemnatory, even from those who oppose his campaign:
Idk if i'd die on this hill. As much as i dislike him its kind of human to discuss doing these things in an active warzone lol.
— benn bawlin (@BawlinBenn64288) May 19, 2026
And the Democratic Party is dutifully circling the wagons around him … at least for as long as he’s still useful to them.
Here’s what The Hill reported about remarks from Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD):
Platner initially denied allegations that he had a tattoo resembling a symbol adopted by Adolf Hitler’s troops in Nazi Germany. He then chose to cover up the tattoo after he said it did resemble a Nazi symbol, stating that he wanted it removed. Platner also said he was a “lifelong opponent” of “Nazism and antisemitism and racism in general.”
“Let’s take a couple issues, including the comments he’s made in the past,” Van Hollen said Thursday. “I mean, he’s been very clear that he went into combat on behalf of the United States, he went through a really rough period, PTSD-type period.”
“And he himself said there are lots of things he’s done and said that he completely regrets, and I do believe people should have second chances and that people can learn from their mistakes, and I think he’s been doing that,” the Maryland Democrat added.
As we recently reported, Platner isn’t the only Democrat running for office who engages in raunchy online behavior:
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