Graham Platner was a Democratic U.S. Senate candidate from Maine, until a series of scandals forced him to end his campaign in July 2026. A Marine Corps veteran, and a small business owner, Platner was running against five-term incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Platner, who grew up wanting to be a soldier, enlisted in the Marine Corps over the objections of his liberal parents and served four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has faced controversies over a skull and crossbones tattoo, which is said to have Nazi connotations, and over past social media posts that many viewed as offensive. He denied knowing that tattoo’s backstory and has since had it covered up, and he has apologized for the old social media posts.
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 that “Amy and I went through something hard — because of me. We did the work, and I’m grateful for her every hour of every day.”
In July 2026, a woman whom he had dated accused him of sexual assault, the allegation that ultimately ended his campaign.