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BAR HARBOR, Maine – Facing one of the toughest moments yet of his US Senate campaign, Democratic candidate Graham Platner, who has returned home, thanked a crowd of supporters for having his back and dousing what he described as “political incitement.”
Platner, an Army veteran and oyster farmer aiming to unseat longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the midterm elections, has been on the defensive amid a number of controversies, from online comments made on Reddit, a well-publicized and now covered tattoo on his chest that resembles a Nazi symbol, to a new drinking history and rape allegations. and violent episodes.
“When the hurtful things I said online ten years ago went public as I shared my personal journey through PTSD and the darkness of recovery and accountability and growth. Maine had my back,” Platner said at Friday’s meeting. “Now, as all the pieces of that past and journey are dug up, prosecuted, and armed, you have my back. And when I am accused of politics, lies and lies. Maine, you have my back.”
Collins, a moderate Republican who has sometimes voted against President Donald Trump’s agenda, is running for a sixth six-year term in the left-leaning Maine Senate in one of the few races nationwide that will determine whether Republicans can control their small Senate majority.
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Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks to supporters at a rally in Bar Harbor, Maine, on June 5, 2026. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Platner, backed by progressive champions Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, is pushing a populist economic agenda as he aims to influence corporations and represent the working class.
He is considered to be the absolute nominee of the Democratic Alliance after two months Gov. Janet Mills, who was supported by Senate Democratic leader Sen. Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Party, dropped out of the race earlier this spring after trailing Platner heavily in fundraising and polling.
Platner, who has acknowledged his battle with post-traumatic stress disorder from his multiple deployments in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, apologized for his controversial Reddit posts after finally making headlines shortly after he launched his Senate campaign.
And Platner said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 while drinking with other Croatian Marines. He said he covered the tattoo with a new design after learning last year that it resembled a Nazi symbol. But the new allegations raise questions about Platner’s timeline regarding the tattoo experience.
Friday’s rally, which included speeches by gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson and congressional candidate Matt Dunlap, was organized by Khanna.
In an interview with Fox News Digital before his appearance on stage, Khanna was asked if he was concerned if the current allegations, or any future ones, could sink Plattner’s campaign and sink Democrats’ hopes of winning the Senate.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders and Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner stand together during the “Fighting Oligarchy” tour at the Collins Center for the Arts on the campus of the University of Maine in Orono, Maine, on May 24, 2026. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
“I am very concerned about making it clear that we do not agree with disrespecting women, that relationship was toxic and has not changed, there is no reason for that,” said Khanna. “I spoke to Graham and he says he was in a very dark time, he was coming back from his job in Iraq as a young man seeing violence and death. That doesn’t excuse it.”
But Khanna added that Platner said he “really grew as a person when he went back to Maine and he was an oyster farmer and he found peace and shame at that time. To me that suggests that people take responsibility and improve their lives and we need that liberation in this country. And I agree with most of his economic policies, that we should tax the billionaires, we should focus on the working class.”
Collins, returning to Maine on Friday after a busy week on Capitol Hill where he reached a milestone by casting his 10,000th consecutive Senate vote, was asked by reporters about the latest allegations against Platner.
“The allegations in the latest story are troubling,” Collins replied. “And I believe Graham Platner has a lot of questions to answer.”
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Sen. Susan Collins of Maine visits a food bank in Harrison, Maine, on May 5, 2026. The food bank was able to expand thanks to federal funding that the senator helped secure. (Paul Steinhauser/Fox News)
Meanwhile, an outside political party affiliated with the parliament member has been blasting Platner, running ads highlighting his many controversies.
The Republican National Committee (RNC), in a social media post following Friday’s rally, took aim at Platner.
“Graham Platner says his violent and flawed past is “armoring” him. Platner said he would rape someone to show his dominance and “rape was about power,” the RNC research team wrote in X, as they pointed to new allegations against the candidate.
Mills, in a recent interview, noted that his name is still being voted on. And a source in his broad political circle confirmed to Fox News that the governor is getting calls urging him to get back into the race amid Platner’s controversy. But there was no active campaign for the Mills.
Asked about Mills, Khanna told Fox News Digital “the good thing about democracy is, you can run full-time, you can run as mysteriously as Janet Mills, you can keep your name in that campaign. That’s why I love American democracy.”
But he predicted that “Platner will come out victorious. And we need to unite and realize that the goal is to defeat Susan Collins. And everyone from Schumer to Sanders is united in that goal.
Platner’s campaign said more than 600 people packed a theater in the resort town near Acadia National Park, not far from his hometown of Sullivan, to attend the rally. And they suggested they’ve raised $200,000 in fundraising in the past 24 hours, which they say is their strongest day of fundraising since Mills suspended his campaign.
Maine voters Fox News Digital spoke to before the caucus were divided on whether Platner’s controversies would affect their opinions of the candidate.
Jeff from Waterboro, Maine said “it’s not a good situation” as he pointed to Platner. “I think he’s a person who shouldn’t run. I’m a conservative person, but he’s done a lot of damage. If the Democrats want to have a winner, they’re going to have to find someone else. He’s not a guy. There’s too much.”
But Ellen of Acton, Maine, who said she’s a registered Republican, said she’s “a total jerk, no.”
“I think he’s going to come in and do a good job,” he added.
