Platner told CNN the remarks came from a period of anger and disillusionment and “don’t reflect who I am today.”
FREEPORT, Maine — Online comments attributed to U.S. Senate hopeful Graham Platner resurfaced in a recent CNN report.
CNN’s “KFile” reported this week that Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer hoping to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins, made a series of inflammatory posts several years ago on Reddit. In those posts, he referred to police as “bastards,” said he had “become a communist,” and called rural white Americans “racist and stupid.”
When asked about the report Thursday in Freeport, Gov. Janet Mills said she had not seen the story but rejected the comments cited in it. Mills announced her plans to run for Senate on Wednesday and would competing against Platner in the primary for the Democratic nomination.
“I haven’t read the report. I’m sorry, I haven’t seen it. But obviously, I would strongly disagree with the comments,” Mills said.
Platner, 41, told CNN the remarks came from a period of anger and disillusionment and “don’t reflect who I am today.” He said he deleted the posts before launching his campaign in August.
“That was very much me messing around on the internet,” Platner told CNN. “I don’t think any of that is indicative of who I am today.”
NEWS CENTER Maine reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment but has not heard back.
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Maine House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, a Democrat, also weighed in Thursday, posting a four-paragraph statement stressing the importance of party primaries and warning that Platner’s comments could harm Democrats beyond the Senate race.
“Some may dismiss this as nothing to see here,” Fecteau wrote. “However, others might read these comments and conclude the online musings of Graham are a liability. … Republicans would use the ‘rural people are racist and stupid’ line not just as an attack against Graham Platner but against Democrats up and down the ticket. We have to keep that in mind.”
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Mills, 77, announced her Senate campaign earlier this week, saying she’s running to “fight back” against President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans. She’s pledging to serve only one six-year term in Washington, if elected in 2026, her campaign has confirmed.
“Would I serve only one term? Of course. It’s logical. But it’s the next few years that are the most critical,” Mills said Thursday at an event in Freeport. “We are at a very urgent, unprecedented time in our country’s history. I’ll be there to stand up for democracy.”
Platner, who entered the race in August with support from Sen. Bernie Sanders, has raised more than $4 million and drawn national attention as an anti-establishment progressive.
The winner of the Democratic primary will face Collins, who is seeking a sixth term, in the 2026 general election.
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