Maine Democrat running to unseat Susan Collins to stay in race after discovery of Reddit postings

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PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Old online comments made by a U.S. Senate candidate in Maine in which the candidate appeared to endorse political violence, dismiss rape in the military and criticize both police officers and rural America were wrong but not disqualifying from office, the national chair of the Democratic Party said.

Graham Platner is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Maine that has been held by Republican Susan Collins since 1997. He faces a crowded field for the nomination that also includes Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who announced her candidacy last week.

CNN first reported last week on old Reddit posts made by Platner that he had deleted since entering the Senate race, and several media outlets followed, revealing separate controversial posts. The posts were made between 2013 to 2021. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Sunday during an appearance on CNN that he does not think the posts were “disqualifying” but did say they were “not right” and “offensive" and he was glad Platner apologized for them.

“I don’t think they’re disqualifying, but certainly they’re not right,” said Martin, speaking on CNN’s State of the Union. “And I’m glad that he apologized for them. They’re indefensible, they’re hurtful, and they’re offensive.”

Platner has apologized for the comments in a video he posted Friday on social media. He said the posts were made after leaving the Army in 2012, adding he “still had the crude humor, the dark, dark feelings, the offensive language that really was a hallmark of the infantry when I was in it.” He also said that he was struggling then with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

“I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am. I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today,” Platner said.

In the days since his apology, Platner has posted more of his old Reddit posts, highlighting that he spent a lot of time online encouraging other veterans to get help. He also released additional Reddit posts showing him criticizing homophobia and misogyny in the military. One post he shared Monday stated that he was disillusioned by “rampant misogyny and weirdness” in the Marines, which he also served in.

Platner is an oyster farmer making his first attempt at public office who is running a progressive campaign with an aggressive social media presence. He has the backing of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has described Platner as a stronger candidate for the seat than Mills.

The Mills campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The Collins campaign said in a statement Friday that Platner's old posts “disparaged everyone from people living in rural areas, to the police" and the disabled. The campaign also said in the statement that the controversy over the posts illustrated rifts between the Democratic Party's different factions.

But some Democratic leaders in the state said they are continuing to support Platner after the posts came to light.

“I think it’s about Graham’s authenticity and that’s what is going to come through,” said Karen Heck, former mayor of Waterville.

Meanwhile, Platner’s political director resigned in response to the news of the old Reddit posts.

“While I am empathetic to Graham’s experiences and respect his personal journey and growth, I cannot overlook the volume and nature of his past comments, many of which were made as an adult, not as a young man,” wrote Genevieve L. McDonald, who had been working for the campaign for several months. “These statements were not known to me when I agreed to join the campaign, and they are not words or values I can stand behind in a candidate for the United States Senate.”

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Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.