What controversies surround Graham Platner’s campaign?

Graham Platner’s campaign faced controversies over his skull and crossbones tattoo that has Nazi connotations and over his past misogynistic, racist, and homophobic social media posts. Several key staffers resigned from the campaign in the wake of the controversies. Platner has since covered up the tattoo, which he said he didn’t know was a Nazi symbol, and admitted to making comments on social media that he regrets. In May 2026, news reports emerged that Platner had exchanged sexually explicit text messages with a number of women while married to Amy Gertner. Platner decried the reports as “journalistic malpractice,” while acknowledging “Amy and I went through something hard — because of me.”

In July 2026, he announced he was suspending his campaign after a woman accused him of sexual assault in 2021. Platner denied the allegations.