“The enemy is oligarchy·billionaires·corrupt politicians” A deployed Marine·oyster farmer launches a Senate bid with this slogan - 경향신문

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Graham Plattner, a 41-year-old Marine who completed four deployments and an oyster farmer in a coastal town, has emerged as the leading Democratic contender in Maine's U.S. Senate race. Eschewing suits for a shirt, a hoodie, and jeans on the stump, he is a disruptive politician who calls for ‘ending the billionaire order’ and ‘working-class politics’.

At the same time, he stands at the center of controversy. After he entered the race, it came to light that he had a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol from his Marine days and that he had posted disparaging remarks about women, Black people, and rural white voters on online communities, drawing fierce criticism. He publicly acknowledged his past, apologized, and rallied his supporters. He is widely expected to face Republican Susan Collins, a six-term incumbent senator, in the November general election.

Plattner effectively secured the Democratic nomination on the 1st (local time) when Maine Governor Janet Mills withdrew from the primary. With no notable competitors inside the party, many predict he will be finalized as the Democratic nominee in the June primary. According to reports such as the Washington Post, Mills withdrew due to a cash crunch and low poll numbers.

Backed by prominent American progressives Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Plattner has unveiled radical promises. On Plattner's website (grahamforsenate.com), he says, “I am fighting Susan Collins, the Republican incumbent Maine senator and my opponent, and the billionaire class that effectively dominates all of Washington.” He also says, “We should not be satisfied with politicians who offer only vague generalities about policy. I will make clear where I stand.”

Graham Plattner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer, shot his announcement video wearing a work hoodie (left). The phrase “The enemy is oligarchy” appears in the video. Graham Plattner Facebook screengrab

In his August 2025 announcement video, filmed around oyster farms in Sullivan while wearing a mud-stained hoodie, he said, “I am not afraid to point to the enemy. The enemy is oligarchy, billionaires, and corrupt politicians.” The campaign slogan “The enemy is oligarchy” circulated among voters as a striking line. Defining himself as working class, he said, “I will win back the place of working Mainers.” The video recorded 2.5 million views in a single day.

He has pledged tax reform centered on higher taxes on billionaires, expansion of health insurance coverage, easing housing costs, strengthening labor unions, strengthening the Clean Air Act, and campaign finance reform. Plattner argues that the president should be prevented from unilaterally deciding on military action and that the power to declare war must be returned to Congress. On Gaza, he said, “We are supporting starvation in Gaza with U.S. taxpayers' money. This is clearly genocide,” and, “The United States should unequivocally condemn the genocide taking place in Gaza and use every means available to end it.”

In policy and platform, there are similarities to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, but some positions differ. Plattner supports certain gun rights. The style contrasts are significant. Unlike Mamdani, who employs a strategic and polished manner of speaking, Plattner delivers messages in rough, direct language. The controversies and criticism that have surfaced since he entered politics are connected to this assessment and style.

The controversy that flared after his August 2025 announcement concerned a tattoo. It became known that a skull tattoo he had gotten while drunk on vacation in Croatia during his Marine service in 2007 resembled the Totenkopf, a skull emblem that is one of the symbols of the Nazi SS, causing an uproar. According to a CBS report on October 22 of that year (local time), he apologized, saying, “I was shocked to learn that it was very similar to a Nazi symbol. I am very sorry to everyone who had to face a symbol of hate.” He soon covered the tattoo with another one.

It was also confirmed that he had posted on Reddit, a U.S. online community, comments that made light of sexual violence in the military. He made insulting remarks about women and Black people, and disparaging comments about rural white voters. Plattner acknowledged this, saying, “In those posts I saw words and claims that I now hate. At the same time, I also saw the trajectory of my life.”

Democratic Senate candidate Graham Plattner speaks during a press conference held in Lewiston, Maine, on April 30 (local time). AP-Yonhap

The U.S. left-wing outlet Jacobin reported in October 2025 the results of analyzing more than 1,800 of Plattner's Reddit posts. Although many used coarse expressions, they also contained progressive views. He expressed revulsion at abuses of Afghan civilians by U.S. troops. To a Trump-supporting Republican candidate who condemned Black crime rates and to a resident who defended a county sheriff who blocked a BLM (Black Lives Matter) group, he replied “racist.” About an executed neo-Nazi, he wrote, “There is no mercy for fascists.” He also strongly criticized Marines who shared nude photos of a female colleague. Though he also made homophobic jokes, he expressed sympathy and sorrow for a gay Marine who had to hide his identity.

A veteran who deployed four times with the Marines and the Army in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere, he also wrote, “It became increasingly clear that the war was a waste of time, dead friends, and the violence we committed,” and, “My experience of America's imperial wars made me more radical.” He also received treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Jacobin wrote, “The posts on Reddit largely match the image he has shown voters in the two months since announcing his run: a rough but candid military veteran, an oyster farmer, a person who uses coarse language, someone passionate about guns and sustainable living, and a person who combines typical progressive leanings with some unorthodox views.”

On general-election competitiveness, many still see Collins as favored. Collins projects an image as a moderate centrist. Criticism of Plattner's past Reddit posts and tattoo, and of his current rough language, could resurface as a ‘candidate risk’ in the general election.

Plattner is 32 years younger than the 73-year-old Collins, which aligns with calls for a generational shift. In Maine, where logging, fishing, and manufacturing workers are numerous, ‘worker-centered politics’ could gain ground. The fact that Maine uses a ‘ranked-choice voting’ system in which voters rank candidates first, second, and third, rather than a first-choice-only ballot, also benefits the more radical Plattner. Local observers also say that for Plattner to prevail, he needs to attract some of the moderates that Collins has secured.