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Graham Platner to speak at Maine rally in return to public eye. Graham Platner, the former Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine who dropped out of the race amid a series of scandals, will headline a Labor Day rally in Ellsworth, Maine. The rally, which is publicly listed on the Hancock County Democrats website and was first reported by the Bangor Daily News, will mark Platner’s first public appearance since leaving the Senate race in early July.

He will speak about the history of unions and role of organized labor, according to the website. Platner left the race following an accusation of sexual assault by a woman he previously dated, though he strongly denied the allegation. His campaign was marred by other scandals even before the allegation, including old social media posts dismissive of sexual assault, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he later covered up, sexually explicit messages that he sent to other women while married, and allegations of physical intimidation by former partners.

He denied the accusations of physical intimidation and said others were the result of PTSD from his time in the military. Platner has since been replaced as the Democratic nominee by Troy Jackson, a logger from northern Maine. Jackson, though he is counting on Platner’s supporters, has said he would not want or accept a Platner endorsement.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/13/graham-platner-speak-maine-rally-return-public-eye/

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[-] FlakesBongler@hexbear.net 77 points 4 days ago

He denied the accusations of physical intimidation and said others were the result of PTSD from his time in the military

Oh wow, an abuser using his own trauma to justify abusive behavior!

How novel!

[-] Horse@lemmygrad.ml 31 points 4 days ago

was that during his three tours in Iraq with the marines, his tour with the national guard in Afghanistan, or his tour as a mercenary?

unlimited ptsd on the burger wehrmacht


[-] FlakesBongler@hexbear.net 23 points 4 days ago

I killed a whole bunch of people, why don't you care how that makes me feel? hamas-base

[-] Hestia@hexbear.net 6 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

He can't help it, he is was taught to be an abuser. You know who the real problem is? The women who call him out on it.

[-] buckykat@hexbear.net 66 points 4 days ago

a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol

brow

[-] Mihr@lemmygrad.ml 35 points 4 days ago

And I just whipped out something resembling a penis on a crowded rush hour train.

[-] MemesAreTheory@hexbear.net 10 points 4 days ago

That's not true it didn't look a damn thing like a penis you need to see a doctor and we all said it

[-] barrbaric@hexbear.net 7 points 4 days ago

Avoid public indecency charges with this one weird trick!

[-] BeanisBrain@hexbear.net 30 points 4 days ago

One of many signs that Platner is no friend to the left is how the media trips over itself to run interference for him.

[-] purpleworm@hexbear.net 17 points 4 days ago

I disagree with this assessment, they love using him being a scoundrel to smear other berniecrats, but I'm trying to figure out why else it might be that they so this. I think perhaps it's because they have lots of allies (notably in Ukraine) who love Nazi imagery and they are worried that asserting that something being identical to a Nazi symbol used by a people with a substantial history of using that Nazi symbol is enough to assert that it really is the Nazi symbol. At least, that's my best guess.

[-] InexplicableLunchFiend@hexbear.net 14 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Yeah they want to smear Berniecrats with him and call him an anti-semitic Nazi, but they also don't want to normalize jumping to the conclusion that people with Nazi tattoos and badges are automatically Nazis since that would destroy their Ukraine propaganda. They are walking a fine line where they don't want to be to mean to a Nazi, but want to be more mean to the succ.

[-] Le_Wokisme@hexbear.net 14 points 4 days ago

it's not a nazi symbol unless it was produced in the nazi region of germany

[-] hotcouchguy@hexbear.net 11 points 4 days ago

technically correct

[-] FunkyStuff@hexbear.net 53 points 4 days ago

Hey, the "brush off the allegations like they didn't happen" strategy worked for biden-alert

[-] Adkml@hexbear.net 57 points 4 days ago

It really is funny that the me too movement died over night as soon as somebody accused Biden.

A full year of "times up" and "believe women" until exactly one women accused Biden and every lib immediatly did a spot on Kavanaugh impression without a whiff of irony.

[-] SacredExcrement@hexbear.net 39 points 4 days ago

"Believe women!"

Woman claims Biden did terrible things to her

frothingfash "SHE'S A RUSSIAN ASSET WORKING FOR TRUMP"

[-] opiumfree@hexbear.net 49 points 4 days ago

none of the settler colonies of the world will ever accept just how much of their countries are based on sexual violence. its no coincidence that the United States make such an effort to make sure that their soldiers are exempt from the consequences ofremoved abroad in all circumstances... they dont really care about violation when their entire nation was based on a violation.

[-] jack@hexbear.net 43 points 4 days ago

Finally. He's done his time and he DESERVES a public platform again after his long and painful exile. How long must a man suffer? You wouldn't deny him attention and money and a future career in media (a fundamental human right!!!!!) just because he was expelled from his campaign for his long history of criminal violence, would you?

[-] Crucible@hexbear.net 13 points 4 days ago

Congratulations, you've been hired at the Majority Report

[-] SexUnderSocialism@hexbear.net 37 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

He denied the accusations of physical intimidation and said others were the result of PTSD from his time in the military.

My time in the military was such a traumatic experience that I had no choice but to get a Nazi tattoo and harass women.

Anyway, I've come back to help disrupt working class politics and to associate the movement with brave veterans like myself. i-love-killing-people

[-] barrbaric@hexbear.net 13 points 4 days ago

Also it was so traumatic and awful that I signed up to be a mercenary afterward. I am a completely trustworthy person and should be in a leadership position. stress

[-] CupcakeOfSpice@hexbear.net 6 points 4 days ago

I mean, maybe his trauma led to him feeling like his only purpose was military service, prompting him to become a mercenary? But I don't really feel the need to give him the benefit of the doubt when he says things about enjoying the war he was in...

[-] AvocadoVapelung@hexbear.net 38 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

sanders endorsed this chud but not hong matt-joker

[-] huf@hexbear.net 36 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

i am glad we continue to give a voice to the wehrmacht officers who wholeheartedly agree with operation barbarossa and the destruction of judeobolshevism, but think that hitler is not conducting the war correctly.

they will form the core of the future leadership once this "misguided" attempt is finally proven unworkable.

[-] SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net 30 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

That was quick, people already forget he sa'd a woman?

[-] kleeon@hexbear.net 32 points 4 days ago

They've excused every other horrible thing he's done so why not SA?

[-] Evilsandwichman@hexbear.net 24 points 4 days ago

They've excused genocide, so SA wasn't gonna bother them; still, genuinely surprised they've forgiven the harming of a white woman

[-] goferking0@lemmy.sdf.org 10 points 4 days ago

Well it took multiple women coming forward before they believed the SA. Ie stopped calling it dnc and gop hit jobs

[-] ghosts@hexbear.net 17 points 3 days ago

a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he later covered up

gulag

A TOTENKOPF IS A NAZI SYMBOL

[-] thefunkycomitatus@hexbear.net 24 points 4 days ago

Dear god man go get a real job.

[-] Horse@lemmygrad.ml 18 points 4 days ago

his job is oyster kulak


[-] Le_Wokisme@hexbear.net 24 points 4 days ago
[-] MolotovHalfEmpty@hexbear.net 13 points 3 days ago

Well he already did his (extremely obvious) job of blowing up anti-zionist progressive electoralism, so now it's onto the labour movement.

[-] MaxOS@hexbear.net 21 points 4 days ago
[-] huf@hexbear.net 16 points 4 days ago

man called very nearly Planter running for office in the george washington/thomas jefferson country. hm.

[-] corgiwithalaptop@hexbear.net 8 points 4 days ago

I keep forgetting its not actually Planter. I'll still just call him nazi boy tho.

[-] Hestia@hexbear.net 9 points 3 days ago

Still waiting for his podcast announcement.

[-] InevitableSwing@hexbear.net 1 points 3 days ago

I'm branching into podcasting. The CUT pod will be all about me and what I believe. The Covered Up Totenkopf will show...

[-] segfault11@hexbear.net 15 points 4 days ago

here’s how graham can still win

[-] Sneakytrickyyy@hexbear.net 14 points 4 days ago

genuinely, when will this guy go away?

[-] Athena5898@hexbear.net 13 points 4 days ago

They are really speed-running the redemption arcs at the DNC, aren't they?

[-] haxboar@hexbear.net 8 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

Platner and Hunter Biden skipping across that finish line hand-in-hand

this post was submitted on 13 Aug 2026
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