Graham Platner, a Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, has stumbled into a firestorm over old internet posts that sound more like a call to arms than a call to vote.
The Daily Caller reported that Platner, a former Marine and oyster farmer challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins, finds himself under the microscope for Reddit posts from 2018 that advocate violence for social change, a story first broken by CNN and later amplified by commentators like Sean Spicer and Erick Erickson on social media.
Back in 2018, under the username “P-Hustle,” Platner didn’t mince words on platforms like r/SocialistRA and other left-leaning forums, tossing out fiery rhetoric that clashes hard with the working-class champion image he’s crafting today.
In one now-deleted post, Platner declared, “an armed working class is a requirement for economic justice,” a statement that raises eyebrows when coming from someone now asking for a seat in the Senate.
That’s not all—he also wrote that anyone who thinks they can “fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle” needs to crack open a history book.
These aren’t just offhand quips; they paint a picture of a worldview far more radical than the moderate, small-business-owner vibe Platner’s campaign is selling, and it’s fair to wonder if Maine voters are buying the rebrand.
Platner’s online history gets even spicier—he called police “all bastards,” branded himself a communist, and took cheap shots at rural white Americans, dismissing them as uninformed and prejudiced.
Fast forward to August 2025, when he scrubbed these posts just as he kicked off his Senate run, a move he claims was about leaving behind a troubled chapter of his life.
But let’s be real—deleting posts doesn’t delete the questions about whether those views still linger beneath the polished campaign ads produced by Fight Agency, a firm tied to progressive heavyweights like Bernie Sanders and John Fetterman.
Speaking of his team, Platner surrounded himself with Democratic operatives who know the game—senior advisor Joe Calvello has roots with Hillary Clinton and Planned Parenthood, while strategist Morris Katz ties him to far-left figures like Zohran Mamdani.
The New York Times calls Platner a “political novice” focused on Maine’s working folks, but those old posts suggest a past more aligned with revolutionary ideals than lobster-boat pragmatism.
Is this a case of youthful internet folly, or a glimpse into a candidate’s true colors before the campaign consultants got involved?
Platner’s response to the uproar tries to thread the needle, but it’s a tight squeeze for a man with such a loud digital footprint.
Conservatives might argue this is just another example of progressive candidates hiding extreme views until the spotlight hits, while others could see a veteran grappling with disillusionment after serving overseas—either way, Maine voters deserve clarity before casting their ballots.