Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass., has called on progressive candidate Graham Platner to withdraw from the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat.
In remarks during an interview with Boston’s WCVB “On the Record,” Auchincloss, 37, accused Platner of “criticizing and mocking police, rural Americans,” and of carrying a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery — a mark he said makes Platner unfit for the Senate.
Platner, 41, got the tattoo in question, a skull-and-crossbones resembling the “Totenkopf” symbol German officers in Nazi death camps used during the Holocaust, while serving as a Marine on shore leave in Croatia. Platner says he did not understand its Nazi associations at the time and has since had the image covered and some U.S. military units have used similar images since WWII.
Like Platner, Auchincloss also served in the U.S. Marine Corps but his sole connection to Maine seems to be having graduated from the military’s Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) school in the northern part of the state. From 2012-24, Auchincloss registered as a Republican so he could work for former Mass Governor Charlie Baker but subsequently re-registered as a Democrat.
As a Member of Congress, Auchincloss voted with former President Joe Biden 100 percent of the time.
Platner has energized Democrats earlier this year with a progressive platform and drawn significant national attention, as well as having raised over $5 million. He also faces scrutiny over social-media posts in which he described “all police” as “bastards,” supported violence for social change and suggested sexual assault victims bear some responsibility — comments he later apologized for, attributing them to struggles with anger and readjustment following his deployment.
In addition to his call on Platner, Auchincloss urged Maine State Auditor Matt Dunlap to exit the primary challenge against Rep. Jared Golden, calling Golden “the only Democrat in America who can win that seat” and suggesting that Dunlap’s presence risks aiding a MAGA-aligned opponent.
Golden is viewed by party leaders as the moderate Democrat best positioned to retain the seat in a general election for Maine’s largely rural district.
Despite the calls to step aside, Platner held a campaign event on Monday at the Great Salt Bay School in Damariscotta that drew more than 500 supporters and vowed to stay in the race. After the event, Platner spoke with The Maine Wire and agreed to a future sit-down interview with Editor-in-Chief Steve Robinson.
