Big Step Toward the Senate: Win for the Controversial Anti-Israel Candidate

Graham Platner defeated the Democratic primary rivals in Maine by a wide margin, setting up a race against the incumbent Republican senator that could help determine control of the Senate. The candidate has become one of the most prominent figures in the midterm elections in recent months, both because of his popularity and because of the many scandals surrounding him.

Platner, the Democratic candidate for the Senate, overcame a mountain of controversies and scandals overnight, between Tuesday and Wednesday, to win the Democratic nomination in Maine. In recent months, Platner has become one of the most prominent candidates in the U.S. midterm elections, both because of the progressive-populist line he has led and because of the many controversies tied to his name, from abuse of women to praise for Hamas. He won about 72% of the vote, compared with about 20% for Governor Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign in April but remained in the race. In November, Platner will face incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in a political battle that could determine which party controls the Senate.

Platner addressed the series of controversies that followed him throughout the campaign, trying to brand himself as a story of redemption and recovery. "People can change," he told supporters in his victory speech, adding, "I have made mistakes in my life, mistakes I regret, mistakes I live with and continue to learn from."

Platner has carried a heavy load of controversies that have overshadowed his candidacy in recent months. First, he drew negative attention because of a tattoo on his chest of a symbol associated with the Nazis. He said he did not know the meaning of the tattoo and covered it with a new design after understanding that it resembled a Nazi symbol.

He is one of the most critical voices toward Israel in the Democratic Party, and he has echoed and collaborated with several antisemitic influencers. In posts published online about a decade ago and uncovered during the campaign, he praised a Hamas raid in 2014 in which five IDF soldiers were killed, and said he had no moral problem with the raid.

According to a series of reports, Platner sent sexual messages to more than 10 women during their marriages, and also maintained an active account on an app associated with sexual encounters during the election campaign. In another report, former partners of Platner described him as fickle and unfaithful. One of them told The New York Times that he had also physically harmed her. Platner denied the allegations.

In addition, he previously published a series of offensive posts targeting a range of populations. In 2013, he wrote that women who fear rape should not drink so much that they "find themselves having sex with someone they did not intend to have sex with," and in other posts he insulted various minority groups.

Despite the scandals, Platner managed to build a real base in Maine and win support across the United States. The 41-year-old candidate is an oyster farmer who served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan in the Marine Corps. He ran a populist and progressive campaign focused on the cost of living and health care, and criticized the Democratic establishment and U.S. involvement in foreign wars, including in Iran. Platner received support from prominent figures in the progressive wing in the United States, including Bernie Sanders.