ME-SEN: Maine Senate candidate (D) promoted violent political action in since-deleted online posts

[RandySF]

Graham Platner, who is running as an insurgent Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, once suggested in online posts that violence is a necessary means to achieving social change – comments now drawing scrutiny in an era of increased political violence.

Platner, 41, a former Marine and combat veteran who now raises oysters, made the statements on Reddit in 2018, long before he emerged as a serious candidate to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the midterms.

If people “expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle, they ought to do some reading of history,” he wrote in one since-deleted post. In another, he said that “an armed working class is a requirement for economic justice.”

CNN first reported Thursday on Platner’s participation on the subreddit r/SocialistRA, alongside other Reddit forums where he called himself a “communist” and said that “all” police are bastards. All of the posts have been deleted.




https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/16/maine-senate-candidate-promoted-violent-political-action-in-since-deleted-online-posts-00613037

[SSJVegeta]

1. Did he use his real name or something?

[RandySF]

2. I don't know, but this should serve as a lesson

Vet your candidates before making endorsements.

[SSJVegeta]

3. Well his explanation is kinda important.

“As I told CNN, I was fucking around on the internet at a time when I felt lost and very disillusioned with our government who sent me overseas to watch my friends die,” Platner said. “I made dumb jokes and picked fights. But of course I’m not a socialist. I’m a small business owner, a Marine Corps veteran, and a retired shitposter.”

He owns up to it, thoroughly explained why and how it happened, while making clear they were not a true reflection of who he is.

[RandySF]

5. But it's not happening in a vacuum.

The bowling alley mass shooting was not too many years ago.

[SSJVegeta]

12. Yeah.

Even when I "fuck around online" I wouldnt advocate violence.

Theres something to be said about the stability and character of somebody willing to do that.

[EdmondDantes_]

14. All the more reason to be proactive about mental health for the military

But that said, unfortunately this sort of language is more common and with the Internet, nothing ever really goes away. As a friend was saying the other day about a particular Rocky Horror Picture Show costume from his youth, thankfully we're old enough that all the incriminating pictures are on film and can't be randomly found online.

[betsuni]

17. Yes, endorsing without knowing them except for a label can lead to one's endorsement known as The Kiss of Death.

[Hekate]

4. #1 Do you think this is the reason the "too old" Dem. Gov. is running for this seat all of a sudden?

#2 My husband took one look at this man’s commercial and shocked me by saying, “He reminds me exactly of Fetterman. “

#3 Oh great. This is just what we need.

#4 PS In the heat of your political passion, youngsters, remember that in some regards, the internet is forever.

[yorkster]

6. I'm glad Gov. Mills is running.

She took some time to announce, but I think it was expected that she would run.

[JCMach1]

9. The timing though... Is this a hit by the Gov. On her opposition?

Someone who knows ME politics might have a grasp on what is going down.

[yorkster]

13. I certainly claim no insider info.

Have lived in Maine for about 9 yrs. and have done very basic volunteer work on a couple of campaigns. No idea about timing. I will confess to a bit of caution about Platner.

[tritsofme]

15. For Democrats, this seems like the best possible timing, allowing voters plenty of time to make an informed decision

I’m sure Republicans however, are quite disappointed this all didn’t become public until after the primary.

[SSJVegeta]

11. This is an important consideration.

[tritsofme]

7. Platner is not ready for prime time.

[uncle ray]

10. the only thing i see he did wrong was apologize.

fuck the fascists.

[SSJVegeta]

16. His words are appropriate for a war lord when democracy has entirely failed us and war is the only option.

It isnt appropriate for somebody who is seeking to be a representative in a system where we pledge to use peaceful means to achieve our goals and solve differences. He was wrong, acknowledged he was wrong, and claims to be past it.

We need to be careful about people with histories of unpredictability or who say rash things. Fetterman is a key example of how that can go wrong.