As Platner Rises, Some Mainers Have Questions

BELFAST, Maine—The streets of downtown Belfast were charged with energy: politics was working its way through the public square.

On one corner, older men and women held LGBT rainbow flags. The June 6 Pride parade would soon weave through the 19th-century brick buildings that anchor the small coastal city.

Not far away, a red-haired, bearded man, flanked by a staffer, said goodbye to his supporters. The two men joked around as they ambled to a nearby pickup.

Graham Platner, Democratic Senate hopeful, and the man in the eye of a media storm, had been offering last-minute encouragement to his volunteers in the final stretch before Maine’s June 9 primary. He had come from a similar event in Ellsworth—the location of his campaign headquarters, situated in another very progressive downtown not far from his home base in Sullivan.

Platner, who declined to comment to The Epoch Times in Belfast, will face more scrutiny as he prepares to challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) after winning his primary. Conversations across the Pine Tree State revealed that Mainers have questions about him.

Many supporters dismissed criticisms of the U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who has come under fire from the media over accusations of abuse, a Nazi tattoo he claims he did not understand, and other allegations tied to a past that once saw him tending bar at a popular tavern near the U.S. Capitol.

Some locals voiced concern about Platner’s background—and, outside Maine’s progressive coast, the boutique oysterman who went on to win his primary met with a frostier reception.

Earlier on June 6, in nearby Searsport, Kate Johnson was selling books, dolls, and other items at a flea market, including merchandise for the anime “Rave Master.”

Johnson, though not a follower of Platner, told The Epoch Times she did not like Collins. Johnson said she was looking for a Senate candidate “who doesn’t believe that trans women in sports is a wrong and vile thing.”

She said she was glad to learn about Platner’s opposition to President Donald Trump. Yet, she was disturbed to hear allegations that Platner abused some women he dated.

“If it’s all true, he’s a horrible person. You hurt anyone—woman, child, anyone—you don’t deserve to be anything for anyone,” she said.

Faithful Supporters

Platner has denied that he physically abused his former partners and maintains that he learned the meaning of his Totenkopf tattoo only recently.

He has expressed remorse for some of his past statements and actions. His wife, Amy, has remained by his side as he vows he has changed.

At a June 5 rally in Bar Harbor, a resort town near Acadia National Park, he said he had gone through a “personal journey through PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder] and darkness, of recovery and accountability and growth” after his time in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Platner, a vigorous campaigner despite being on 100 percent disability with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, has an ally in Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who spoke at the event.

A vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Khanna told the crowd that Platner “was ashamed of some of the things he said and did,” but “took accountability for it.”

Bob Garland, a Platner supporter who attended the event, told The Epoch Times that “everybody ought to realize, step back and give some thought to young men … the frailties and the pitfalls.”

Two female attendees who did not share their names said they were satisfied with Platner’s account of his actions and regret.

“I think more people care about the Epstein files,” one of them said.

Questions and Concerns

On the afternoon of June 6, downtown Bangor was crowded with out-of-state visitors. Maine’s summer tourist season had begun in the inland city.

Workers were setting up a small stage in West Market Square. As rain started to fall, they quickly assembled a tent.

Logan Anakin Esty, a young street minister, was curious about Platner’s explanation for his tattoo.

“I have met Susan Collins. She knows my dog’s name,” he told The Epoch Times.

Esty said he hoped to hear more from Platner about bringing back the state’s forestry industry and sardining.

Chris, who declined to share his last name, was decidedly opposed to Platner.

“It started with the tattoo thing. I don’t believe that he didn’t know that’s what it was,” Chris told The Epoch Times.

He also voiced concern about Platner’s profile on the website Kik, which the National Center on Sexual Exploitation has described as “extremely dangerous for children.”

Although no reporting has found that Platner exchanged sexually explicit messages with underage users, the account has become another flashpoint in the battle over his candidacy.

Chris said he didn’t care about Platner’s admitted infidelity in his marriage—“but the other stuff’s what’s getting me.”

He said he plans to vote for Collins.

A few miles away, in the halls of the International Cryptozoology Museum, Sasquatch, Mothman, the coelacanth, and other creatures—some real, others mythical, still others a matter of dispute—held their peace on Platner.

The museum, which is dedicated to the exploration of “hidden or unknown animals,” recently moved to Bangor from Portland.

Brian, who declined to share his last name, said Platner “seems like a regular guy who just wants to get the people’s work done in Congress.”

Brian said he wouldn’t vote for Collins but wasn’t sure if he would back Platner.

A few feet from the rows of silent cryptids, Brian said he needs to do his own research on the candidates.

Platner HQ

Ellsworth, the seat of Hancock County, felt right for Platner’s HQ.

Trucks parked on Water Street advertised Maine shellfish. One sign advertised an upcoming anti-Trump “No Kings” protest; another warned Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents against entering a store.

Early on June 6, as Platner volunteers flocked to a nearby pep rally, pedestrians seconded their support for the Senate hopeful.

Eli Moss told The Epoch Times that Platner was “an actual person that’s been involved with the working class, instead of just someone that grew up with the bourgeoisie.”

He said he appreciated Platner’s military experience, contrasting it with Trump’s draft deferments during the Vietnam War.

“Me, myself, I’m anti-war, but also having people be thrown to the wayside after they’re done serving for whoever is at [the] top is also bad,” he said.

The Ellsworth local said that “it’s pretty much clear that lots of people in Ellsworth stand with Platner.”

Cindy Erskine said she lives in New Hampshire but grew up in Ellsworth.

“A lot in downtown has changed, but it still seems to be a nice little town,” she told The Epoch Times.

Erskine said Platner is “not as bad as what’s in office now.”

“I hope he wins,” she said.

Erskine believes the candidate is the victim of a smear campaign trading in falsehoods.

“His personal issues are his personal issues, and … they shouldn’t have to reflect on how he can do as a senator,” she added.

Nicholas Archibald, a schoolteacher, was walking his dog Mira near the Union River.

He said he planned to vote for Platner against Collins in the general election. Archibald did not plan on participating in the primary because he thought Platner was “going to win anyway.”

“I don’t like how much Collins has voted in support of Trump,” he said.

Like Erskine, Archibald said he thought Platner was at least partly the victim of a smear campaign.

“I don’t really care what people posted on Reddit 10 years ago,” he said.

Archibald said it would take “something that’s more extreme” than what he has seen so far to dissuade him from backing Platner.

An Older America

Half a mile from Sebasticook Lake, surrounded by chain stores, a car dealership, and a cannabis dispensary, Sawyer’s Dairy Bar looked like something out of an older America.

Paper signs in the windows advertised chili dogs, shakes, sundaes, and even a lobster roll.

The ice cream stand in Newport, a small town between Bangor and Waterville, was staffed by cheerful teenagers.

The locals in line on June 6, though polite, were hesitant to share their opinions about Platner. Newport, unlike Belfast and Ellsworth, seemed to keep its public square relatively free of politics.

One exception was a man who declined to share his name.

“I can’t imagine Maine people put up with him,” he said, adding, “not with what Sen. Collins brings to this state.”