Can Asian Americans trust Maine’s Graham Platner?

Maine’s Democratic Senate primary has become a referendum on whether voters can overlook Nazi-linked tattoos and offensive online behavior, a question with profound implications for Asian American communities.

Catch up: The Democratic contest to challenge U.S. Sen. Susan Collins transformed when Gov. Janet Mills announced her candidacy on Oct. 14. Within days, reports on troubling aspects of frontrunner Graham Platner’s background began circulating. The 41-year-old oyster farmer and military veteran, who secured Sen. Bernie Sanders’ endorsement, now confronts scrutiny over deleted social media content that dismissed sexual assault allegations and made derogatory comments about Black people’s tipping habits and white people’s racism. Most seriously, it was revealed that his chest tattoo bore strong resemblance to Nazi SS imagery, which he insists he failed to recognize for nearly two decades. His campaign manager and political director departed this month.

Is redemption possible?: The symbol in question, known as the Totenkopf or “death’s head,” carries specific historical weight. According to the Anti-Defamation League, Hitler’s SS adopted this imagery, with particular use by SS-Totenkopfverbande divisions that operated concentration camps during the Holocaust’s systematic murder of millions. Platner’s account describes getting inked in Croatia in 2007 while intoxicated and serving with the Marines, claiming ignorance despite later clearing military tattoo screenings and receiving security authorization.

Earlier this month, leaked Telegram chats showed Young Republican officials allegedly using more than 250 racial slurs targeting Asian and Black people while explicitly celebrating Hitler and referencing gas chambers. Such revelations demonstrate how extremist ideology permeates political circles, casting doubt on any claim of accidental Nazi symbolism.

What this means: Platner’s candidacy demands careful consideration from Asian American voters navigating their own experiences with rising discrimination. Following the Young Republicans scandal, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) issued a statement noting that such private rhetoric “speaks volumes to their character and the tone set by our nation’s leaders.”

While maintaining strength among 18-to-29-year-old Democrats, Platner saw his overall standing collapse dramatically once poll respondents received information about his tattoo, with Mills opening a 30-point margin. Communities already confronting increased hate crimes may not be able to afford representation from candidates whose judgment, whether past or present, raises fundamental questions.

The Maine primary will be held next June.