How Graham Platner’s Campaign Is Trying to Do Damage Control After Nazi Tattoo Fiasco

Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner got Nazi tattoos, posted homophobic slurs on Reddit, and might have trained with whack left-wingers in what appears to be an Antifa-like group. Sure, the latter isn’t disqualifying for liberal voters, but the first two are anathema. Given today’s climate, maybe one is survivable, but it’s clear this guy was never vetted. 

Also, there are posts where Plat man blasted rural Mainers as racist and dumb. So, why is he still in the race? Well, based on early polling, almost 60 percent of Maine Democrats back him. Former Gov. Janet Mills has entered the race, so let’s see how things settle again in a few weeks, but, for now, Platner is racing to get things under control, messaging-wise. He’s in full damage control mode, and it’s led to some staffers resigning as NDAs are now being drafted (via Politico): 

Graham Platner is shaking up his campaign amid a swirl of controversy, bringing in a longtime friend to function as his Maine Senate campaign’s new manager, hiring a compliance firm and sending non-disclosure agreements to staffers. 

[…] 

Amid fallout from Platner’s controversial years-old social media posts, his campaign began sending non-disclosure agreements to staffers last week, according to his former top political director, Genevieve McDonald, who said she declined to sign one. 

“The campaign offered me $15,000 to sign a NDA,” McDonald told POLITICO in an interview. “I did not accept the offer. I certainly could have used the money. I quit my job to work on Platner’s campaign, believing it was something different than it is.” 

A statement from the campaign referred to the $15,000 offer as standard severance. A Platner campaign spokesperson said the team recently hired Spruce Street “to take over campaign compliance to institute standard practices that had yet to be put into place. Some of those standards had to be instituted retroactively but as a matter of course we do not require anyone previously involved in the campaign to do so. Genevieve McDonald was offered severance which is standard for all campaign employees and contractors.” 

The moves to salvage a campaign months after its launch underscore how fast Platner took off and how imperiled he finds himself, in a crucial state for Democrats in their uphill quest to retake the Senate. 

[…] 

Revelations of the staffing changes and non-disclosure agreements — which have not been previously reported — come as Platner’s campaign is in damage control. On Wednesday, the candidate confirmed to The Advocate that his Reddit posts included “homophobic slurs, anti-LGBTQ+ jokes, and sexually explicit stories denigrating gay men.” 

That follows Platner expressing regret over getting a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest 20 years ago, along with previously unearthed offensive Reddit posts, including one from 2013 downplaying sexual assault in the military and another since-deleted 2018 one suggesting violence is necessary to enact social change. Platner has apologized for the posts and said they do not represent his growth in recent years. 

Yeah, but posts slamming rural voters aren’t old, so where does the truth lie with this guy? What I do know is that if Platner were a Republican, the national media would be grilling him. Instead, we have a slew of liberal commentators defending their Nazi candidate. You people made up the rules—it’s a pleasure to watch you being eaten by them. 

Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner got Nazi tattoos, posted homophobic slurs on Reddit, and might have trained with whack left-wingers in what appears to be an Antifa-like group. Sure, the latter isn’t disqualifying for liberal voters, but the first two are anathema. Given today’s climate, maybe one is survivable, but it’s clear this guy was never vetted. 

Also, there are posts where Plat man blasted rural Mainers as racist and dumb. So, why is he still in the race? Well, based on early polling, almost 60 percent of Maine Democrats back him. Former Gov. Janet Mills has entered the race, so let’s see how things settle again in a few weeks, but, for now, Platner is racing to get things under control, messaging-wise. He’s in full damage control mode, and it’s led to some staffers resigning as NDAs are now being drafted (via Politico): 

Graham Platner is shaking up his campaign amid a swirl of controversy, bringing in a longtime friend to function as his Maine Senate campaign’s new manager, hiring a compliance firm and sending non-disclosure agreements to staffers. 

[…] 

Amid fallout from Platner’s controversial years-old social media posts, his campaign began sending non-disclosure agreements to staffers last week, according to his former top political director, Genevieve McDonald, who said she declined to sign one. 

“The campaign offered me $15,000 to sign a NDA,” McDonald told POLITICO in an interview. “I did not accept the offer. I certainly could have used the money. I quit my job to work on Platner’s campaign, believing it was something different than it is.” 

A statement from the campaign referred to the $15,000 offer as standard severance. A Platner campaign spokesperson said the team recently hired Spruce Street “to take over campaign compliance to institute standard practices that had yet to be put into place. Some of those standards had to be instituted retroactively but as a matter of course we do not require anyone previously involved in the campaign to do so. Genevieve McDonald was offered severance which is standard for all campaign employees and contractors.” 

The moves to salvage a campaign months after its launch underscore how fast Platner took off and how imperiled he finds himself, in a crucial state for Democrats in their uphill quest to retake the Senate. 

[…] 

Revelations of the staffing changes and non-disclosure agreements — which have not been previously reported — come as Platner’s campaign is in damage control. On Wednesday, the candidate confirmed to The Advocate that his Reddit posts included “homophobic slurs, anti-LGBTQ+ jokes, and sexually explicit stories denigrating gay men.” 

That follows Platner expressing regret over getting a Nazi symbol tattooed on his chest 20 years ago, along with previously unearthed offensive Reddit posts, including one from 2013 downplaying sexual assault in the military and another since-deleted 2018 one suggesting violence is necessary to enact social change. Platner has apologized for the posts and said they do not represent his growth in recent years. 

Yeah, but posts slamming rural voters aren’t old, so where does the truth lie with this guy? What I do know is that if Platner were a Republican, the national media would be grilling him. Instead, we have a slew of liberal commentators defending their Nazi candidate. You people made up the rules—it’s a pleasure to watch you being eaten by them.