Graham Platner, an oyster farmer who is running in the Democratic primary for Senate in Maine, on Friday apologized for some of his past social media posts in which he referred to himself as a “communist,” criticized police and called rural, white Americans racist and stupid.
“For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry,” Platner said in a direct-to-camera video he posted on X.
Platner, an Army and Marine veteran, blamed his Reddit posts, which were first reported by CNN earlier this week, on the state of “disillusionment” with the world that he felt when he returned home after serving several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“When I got back from Afghanistan in 2011, I stayed in the Army for another year. I got out in 2012. Some of the worst comments I made, the things that I think are least defensible, that I wouldn’t even try to defend, come from that time,” Platner said.
“I made comments that I’m not happy about, that I do not agree with, but they came from a time and place in my life, and as I watch or as I read through the comments that were released, I can see myself changing,” he added. “My language gets less crude, my thoughts and my feelings get a lot less kind of rough around the edges. I do get almost more disillusioned, though, and it’s important to know that this was a time in my life where I was struggling deeply.”
In some of the Reddit posts, Platner referred to himself as a “communist,” writing, “I got older and became a communist.”
He also referred to himself as “a vegetable-growing, psychedelics-taking, socialist these days,” adding: “After the war, I’ve pretty much stopped believing in any of the patriotic nonsense that got me there in the first place, and am a firm believer that the best thing a person can do is help their neighbors and live a loving life.”
In an interview with CNN, Platner assured voters, “I’m not a communist. I’m not a socialist. I own a small business. I’m a Marine Corps veteran.”
In another Reddit post from 2021, Platner repeated a phrase that was popular with left-wing demonstrators who protested against policy brutality following the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police in Minneapolis in 2020.
“Bastards. Cops are bastards. All of them, in fact,” Platner wrote.
In 2020, Platner on Reddit responded to another user who claimed that “White people aren’t as racist or stupid as Trump thinks.”
“Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you they actually are,” the future Senate candidate wrote back.
In his video Friday, Platner said his views have changed in recent years as he felt less isolated and built a community in Maine.
“I was in different places that I’m not in now, I had different feelings that I don’t have now, I had different thoughts and opinions that I certainly don’t have now, but I am very proud of the person I am today, and it was that whole journey that got me here,” he said. “And while I won’t defend things I said in the past, I will just say that if it wasn’t for that entire journey, I would not be who I am today, and I’m incredibly proud of who I am today.”
“I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am. I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today,” he added at the end of the video.
In other posts from 2013 reviewed by NBC News, Platner also minimized challenges faced by military members in reporting sexual assault and encouraged people not to use substances in order to avoid being raped.
“In today’s current climate, when every whisper of a misplaced hand brings down a feature length film, anyone who actually thinks the military is purposefully covering up rape to save the career of some god damn [captain], is clearly both an idiot and junior enough in rank or life experience to think it matters,” Platner posted at the time.
In the comment section of another post titled “shorts that prevent you from being raped,” Platner urged people to “take some responsibility for themselves” and “not get so f----d up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to.”
“You make a choice to consume enough of a substance to lose your self control. So if you don’t want to be in a comprising situation, act like an adult for f---s sake,” Platner wrote. “Rape is a real thing, if you’re so worried about it to buy Kevlar underwear you’d think you might not get blacked out f----d up around people you aren’t comfortable with.”
The Washington Post first reported the comments.
Platner launched his campaign for Senate in August, quickly going viral for being a veteran and an oyster farmer entering politics for the first time.
He picked up a slew of high-profile endorsements, including one from progressive icon Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and the backing of multiple labor unions in the state.
But earlier this week, Maine’s Democratic Gov. Janet Mills also launched a campaign for Senate, creating a competitive primary. The winner of the Democratic primary will go on to face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the general election.
Collins is seeking her sixth term in the Senate. In 2020, she beat her Democratic opponent by almost 9 percentage points.
