Scoop: Graham Platner's campaign manager is out

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Axios

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's campaign manager is stepping down from his position, according to two people familiar with his plans.

Why it matters: Platner's bid, which was endorsed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), has been thrown into controversy because he once had a tattoo that looked like a Nazi symbol and made controversial social media posts in the past.

Zoom in: Kevin Brown, a longtime friend of Platner's who started as campaign manager last week, is leaving his role, the sources said.

Platner's former political director, Genevieve McDonald, also previously departed the campaign.

Read more: https://www.axios.com/2025/10/27/graham-platner-campaign-manager

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Not a good sign when your campaign manager lasts less than one Scaramucci.

[yardwork]

1. He wasn't prepared to run for the senate.

He's not prepared to be a senator. He's childish, thin skinned, immature, and un-serious.

[democratsruletheday]

7. You aren't wrong, but with that said....

John (Hoodie) Fetterman says Hi

[cstanleytech]

8. In that regards he sounds similar to someone we are all having to deal with as President currently.

[Irish_Dem]

2. Dead rocks don't bounce as Steve Schmidt always says.

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. A couple of points:

1) He HAS a Nazi tattoo. He just had it covered over, allegedly.
2) Bernie needs to withdraw the endorsement.
3) We have enough real Nazis, we don't need any crypto-Nazis, or Fetteremans/Sinemas/Machins.
4) While a drunk youngster may get a Nazi tattoo, a sober adult does not keep it.

[EX500rider]

4. Yeah I wish they'd stop saying looks like a Nazi tattoo and say is a Nazi tattoo

[thesquanderer]

9. It's not so obviously identifiable as a Nazi tattoo. It's not a swastika.

But it resembled a totenkopf (skull and crossbones).

You can see an image of the tattoo here:

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQTRbluL-_vx1PIEipPL81lTc9RHo38i6-MkQ&s

[Cirsium]

11. Yes, it is

It is obviously identifiable to anyone who has any knowledge of the Holocaust at all, and/or to any one bothering to do a little research. I would expect a candidate for the US Senate, especially in these times, to qualify on at least one and preferably on both accounts as a bare minimum requirement, even if they did not have the symbol tattooed on the body, and even if they weren't displaying that tattoo in public.

It doesn't resemble "a totenkopf (skull and crossbones)" it is the Totenkopf.

(The Totenkopf) became the symbol of the SS-Totenkopfverbande (one of the original three branches of the SS, along with the Algemeine SS and the Waffen SS), whose purpose was to guard the concentration camps. Many original members of this organization were later transferred into and became the core of a Waffen SS division, the 3rd SS "Totenkopf" Panzer Division, which engaged in a number of war crimes during World War II.

https://www.adl.org/resources/hate-symbol/totenkopf

[quakerboy]

15. I wouldn't have known

I associate skull and crossbones with modern pirate mythos, not nazis. And Im someone who's spent a fair bit of time researching nazi and subsequent white power symbology so I can make sure i can catch and expose them in online gaming groups.

Is a totenkopf any skull and crossbones or is it specialized? I notice most of what comes up on a Google search have shorter bones than what I normally think of?

[Cirsium]

17. OK

You aren't running for the US Senate. You probably don't claim to be a military historian, either. Nor have you been wearing it as a tattoo and displaying it in public. The Totenkopf is not just any skull and crossbones, it is specialized.

But most troubling for me is not that he had the tattoo, but his absolutely lame responses to questions about it.

[thesquanderer]

21. re: "It is obviously identifiable to anyone who has any knowledge of the Holocaust at all" - not true.

I asked some friends and family who I felt were the among the more well versed in Judaism and Jewish history.

One is well-steeped in judaism, and is married to someone who escaped the holocaust as a child. Another is not observant, but was brought up in a pretty observant household (fully kosher, etc.). Another worked on the web site for the Anne Frank museum. Another works for Hadassah. I guarantee you, they all have knowledge of the Holocaust. None of them recognized it as a Nazi symbol (or at least not prior to all this news coverage).

Admittedly this is a small sample (5, including myself). But for those saying that pretty much anyone would recognize this as a Nazi symbol, well, it should not be so hard for me to find anyone who recognized it as such, especially among the people I was asking.

I'm not defending Platner, I don't live in Maine and have paid little attention. I'm just saying I'm quite sure it's not as obvious to everyone as you think it is.

re: "It doesn't resemble "a totenkopf (skull and crossbones)" it is the Totenkopf." -- I used the word resemble because the picture was not crystal clear. (Not germane to my point, though.)

re: "The Totenkopf is not just any skull and crossbones, it is specialized" -- actually, it has apparently been used both ways. At least if wikipedia is to be believed. See the images at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totenkopf (though again, just a side point of possible interest.)

Again, not defending Platner! And not referring to anything else you've said. I just think the particular statement of yours I quoted in the subject line (which you originally addressed to me) isn't accurate.

[obamanut2012]

14. Yes, it is -- please quit acting as an apologist for this guy and this symbol

It is a well-known Nazi symbol, a symbol millions of people saw literally right before they were gassed or shot or buried alive.

And, even if the drunk 21-year-old didn't somehow know, the 40-year-old WWII history buff sure as hell knew.

[thesquanderer]

22. I'm not an apologist for anyone/anything here. But it is not so obviously a Nazi symbol.

I put it to the test. Please see my post at https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=3557255

(I'm not disagreeing with anything else you said.)

[Silent Type]

5. I've spent much of my life explaining why Dixiecrats weren't really Democrats. Now I gotta explain why a Nazi tatooed

Democrat is running for Senate.

Kind of like back when David Duke was a Democrat.

[ancianita]

6. Maine voters had better rethink their vote when those closest to him leave him.

[FakeNoose]

19. This!

I'm not a Maine voter, and I have no dog in this hunt. But I'm going to take the word of Kevin Brown and Genevieve MacDonald.
Platner has lost 2 key people in a very short time.

[ancianita]

20. I'm not, either, though I was born in Bangor. No matter what polls say, the whole state has already voted for Mills

and will probably stick with her on voting day, and not go for Bernie's guy. imho

[Wild blueberry]

10. Now it's time for Platner to leave

[JoeOtterbein]

12. Thanks!

For posting my daughter's article!

[Hekate]

13. Those are two very significant departures. Maybe nepo-kid should depart as well.

[QueerDuck]

16. The end is near...

[betsuni]

18. What happens in Croatia doesn't stay in Croatia. Reddit, either.