Graham Platner

Platner denies the physical allegations and knowing the meaning of his tattoo, calling them politically motivated.

“Anything alleging physicality, anything alleging that I knew what my tattoo was, these are the statements of someone who's politically motivated”

The Megyn Kelly Show: Shady California Vote Counting, and Dems' Platner Hypocrisy, with Sohrab Ahmari and Sean Davis, Plus James Patterson on Patriotism | Ep. 1333 (Jun 5, 2026) · Listen from 57:42

Platner blames Susan Collins's 30-year tenure for unaffordable housing and the collapse of Maine's rural health care.

“She has been in charge for 30 years, and she has overseen a system that has brought us to the brink of collapse”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 19:08

Platner argues that past campaigns against Susan Collins failed because they were directed from Washington by the national party.

“the campaigns that have generally been run against Susan Collins have been directed from Washington, D.C. They've involved the National Party in many ways”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 18:46

Platner argues the Iran war cost $50 billion and 13 American lives merely to restore the pre-war status quo in the Strait of Hormuz.

“we just spent $50 billion, 13 dead Americans, thousands of dead people, gas prices soaring, a possible collapse of fertilizer industries just to get back to where we were?”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 44:00

Platner accuses Pete Hegseth of using the military to compensate for insecurity about his own military service.

“Pete Hegzeth is literally using the U.S. military to make up for the fact that he's insecure about his own military service”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 39:21

Platner says that as a senator he would block all possible funding for the Iran war.

“Blocking every bit of funding possible. We shouldn't send a single dollar for any of this nonsense”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 37:02

Platner recounts that he filed his first VA claim in 2013 and did not receive a final rating until the early 2020s.

“I think I filed my first claim in 2013, and it wasn't until the early 2020s that the VA finally gave me my final rating”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 44:43

Platner proposes building an army of VA social workers to find veterans not receiving benefits they earned.

“building an army of social workers for the VA to go out into this country and find every single veteran who is not getting the benefits that they earned”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 44:43

Platner says Chuck Schumer called to congratulate him after the governor dropped out and they agreed beating Collins is the priority.

“And he congratulated me on a well-run race. We talked about how beating Susan Collins is the priority”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 34:25

Platner says working people would say the Democratic Party does not represent them, as reflected in polling.

“I think if you ask working people in this country, which they would say no, which is reflected in the polling at the moment”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 3:29

Platner says his skull tattoo never raised concerns across 17 years, including repeated screenings for gang and hate tattoos.

“But for 17 years of my life, including getting screened for tattoos, never once came up”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 25:57

Platner attributes voters' acceptance of his old Reddit posts mainly to forgiveness after he explained his transformation since his infantry years.

“Well, I think it's mostly forgiveness. Because when I explained it, I just pointed out that, look, I've not always been who I am today”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 22:04

Platner argues taxes should be raised on the wealth of all U.S. billionaires, not just income, rebutting Jeff Bezos.

“We're raising it on all 930 billionaires in the United States. It's why we're also not just going after your income, but I think we have to go after the wealth as well”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 15:24

Platner defines the working class as those living mainly on wages rather than income from hoarded wealth.

“If the bulk of the money that you get to – live comes from wages, comes from working, and you are not just sitting on an immense amount of hoarded wealth”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 10:44

Platner advocates publicly funded elections lasting two months with no consultant class.

“If I have my way, elections will be publicly funded and they will last two months. And there will be no consultant class”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 47:16

Platner argues that the roughly $8 trillion spent on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars achieved nothing.

“We spent, it looks like in the end, it's going to be somewhere around $8 trillion on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for nothing”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 39:12

Platner argues that using strength to dominate or offend others is cowardice rather than masculinity, criticizing the manosphere.

“this idea that you're supposed to use your strengths to use power over other people or to offend people, be mean to people, that somehow that's manly. That's not. That's the act of a coward”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 26:25

Platner argues that re-empowering organized labor is key to taking back democracy from corporate and billionaire interests.

“re-empowering organized labor is going to be one of the keys to building the power necessary to really take back our democracy from corporate interests”

Up First from NPR: Can Graham Platner survive another controversy? | NPR’s Newsmakers (Jun 1, 2026) · Listen from 2:13