“I think it would be a mistake for the Democratic Party to think that Graham Platner’s brand of the Democratic Party is what wins us durable majorities throughout this country,” Auchincloss said.
Platner, a former Marine trying to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins, has said he had no idea the skull and crossbones design, or Totenkopf, was a symbol on Nazi uniforms when he was inked in Croatia in 2007 while on shore leave with other service members.
He has since had the tattoo covered up.
Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for US Senate, speaks at an event hosted by Senator Bernie Sanders in Orono, Maine, on May 24, 2026. Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty
The Platner campaign didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday on Auchincloss’s remarks.
It’s not the first time Auchincloss has taken aim at Platner, an oyster farmer running a decidedly populist campaign backed by left-wing lawmakers Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
In October, Auchincloss called for Platner to drop out of the race; Platner has since all but clinched the Democratic nomination after Governor Janet Mills, the establishment’s preferred candidate, recently bowed out of the primary amid dismal polling numbers.
“I think we should have high standards for United States senators and one of them is you don’t have a Nazi tattoo on your body,” Auchincloss said in October in an interview with WCVB-TV.
Late Tuesday morning, Auchincloss pushed back on critics who accused him of effectively endorsing Collins by criticizing Platner.
“Susan Collins is a rubber stamp for the worst admin in history,” Auchincloss wrote on X. “Claims that I would endorse her, implicitly or otherwise, ignore my track record supporting Democrats to take back both chambers. As I said months ago, I find Platner’s Nazi tattoo and his commentary about it personally disqualifying. If it were me I’d vote for someone else in the Maine Democratic primary. Regardless of what happens in Maine, Democrats need to take back the Senate and I’ll keep working hard to make it happen.”
Susan Collins is a rubber stamp for the worst admin in history. Claims that I would endorse her, implicitly or otherwise, ignore my track record supporting Democrats to take back both chambers. As I said months ago, I find Platner’s Nazi tattoo and his commentary about it…
— Jake Auchincloss (@JakeAuch) May 26, 2026
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report. This story will be updated when more information is released.
Travis Andersen can be reached at [email protected].
