Prominent Political Voices of All Stripes Raise Concerns About Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner

A growing number of respected Democratic, Independent and Republican voices are publicly raising concerns about Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner as Democrats seek to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate races.

The criticism has come not just from Republican opponents, but from figures who broadly identify with Democratic causes and who question whether party leaders are applying a double standard in their defense of the Democratic frontrunner.

Former Biden White House aide Michael LaRosa this week said he was “shocked” by the willingness of some Democrats to rally behind Platner despite controversies involving a tattoo linked to Nazi imagery and resurfaced online posts. LaRosa argued that electoral considerations appear to be outweighing concerns that would otherwise draw widespread condemnation.

“I get it,” LaRosa told Fox News Digital. “I want the Senate seat, I want Democrats to win, I want Chuck Schumer to be the majority leader, but I’m not willing to take anybody off the street to run just because they arouse some vibes in a few portions of the Democratic Party.”

LaRosa said he personally draws the line at supporting “a Democrat who has Nazi tattoos,” adding that Platner was “just not for me.”

His criticism followed comments from CNN host Michael Smerconish, who devoted a segment of his weekend program to what he described as a Democratic “blindspot.”

Smerconish focused on the infamous tattoo Platner carried for nearly two decades that depicted the Totenkopf, a skull-and-crossbones symbol historically associated with the Nazi SS. Platner has said he selected the image while intoxicated in 2007, unaware of its historical significance, and later covered it after learning of its connection to Nazi Germany.

Smerconish questioned that explanation, arguing that retaining the tattoo for 18 years made it difficult to dismiss as a simple youthful mistake.

“As for the tattoo, he didn’t cover it until October of 2025, 18 years after getting it, and only when it became a political problem,” Smerconish said. “That’s not a drunken mistake in Croatia, that’s a daily choice sustained for nearly two decades.”

The CNN host also criticized prominent Democrats who have supported Platner, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, arguing that some Democrats appear willing to overlook issues they would condemn in a Republican candidate.

The criticism has expanded beyond television commentary.

In a recent essay for The Atlantic, writer Mike Nelson argued that Democratic leaders have been reluctant to forcefully condemn Platner’s past association with the symbol and questioned whether partisan considerations have eclipsed moral ones. Nelson wrote that Nazi symbolism should remain beyond the boundaries of acceptable political conduct regardless of party affiliation and criticized Democrats who have rallied behind Platner despite the controversy.

Nelson specifically pointed to what he described as a lack of public condemnation from prominent Democrats and praised Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss for calling the tattoo and Platner’s explanations “disqualifying.” Nelson argued that some Democratic activists appeared more upset by criticism of Platner than by the underlying controversy itself.

The debate comes as Platner has emerged as the Democratic Party’s dominant Senate candidate. Following Gov. Janet Mills’ decision not to exit the race, Platner became the presumptive Democratic nominee and has posted strong polling numbers against Collins, a five-term incumbent whom national Democrats have long targeted.

LaRosa warned that Democrats risk abandoning standards in pursuit of a Senate victory.

“What’s the point in having a party if you don’t have standards anymore?” he said.