Democrat congressman slams Graham Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo as ‘disqualifying’

Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-Mass, delivered a sharp rebuke of Maine candidate Graham Platner, breaking with his party over the Senate hopeful’s Nazi-linked tattoo.

“I find that tattoo and his commentary about it to be personally disqualifying,” Auchincloss told CNN on Monday. “I hope Maine voters agree with me.”

“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,” the Massachusetts lawmaker continued.

Platner, the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee in the battleground Senate race, has faced months of scrutiny over the controversial chest tattoo that he had for most of his adult life.

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Platner, a former Army and Marine Corps veteran, got the tattoo in 2007 during a night of drinking while stationed in Croatia. 

The Senate hopeful had the tattoo covered up earlier this year amid fierce backlash over the Nazi-linked design and old Reddit posts in which he made offensive statements for nearly a decade.

He has repeatedly claimed that he did not know the meaning of the tattoo resembling a Nazi “totenkopf,” a skull-and-crossbones design. But multiple reports have found that Platner knew about the symbol’s links to the Nazi SS.

Auchincloss, a Jewish lawmaker representing a Boston-area seat, is among the relatively few Democrats who have publicly criticized Platner for his tattoo and past controversial statements.

He became the first Democratic lawmaker to call on Platner to exit the race in October 2025 after Platner’s tattoo and past controversial statements came to light.

Still, the vast majority of Democratic lawmakers have declined to speak out against Platner as he is expected to face vulnerable Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, in November’s general election.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who backed Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ failed primary run, issued tepid support for Platner after Mills suspended her campaign.

Meanwhile, leading progressives, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., have vigorously supported his campaign.

Warren has called Platner her “kind of man,” despite his myriad controversies.

Auchincloss clarified in a statement posted on social media Tuesday that he does not support Collins’ Senate campaign.

“Susan Collins is a rubber stamp for the worst admin in history,” he wrote. “Claims that I would endorse her, implicitly or otherwise, ignore my track record supporting Democrats to take back both chambers.”

A spokesperson for the Platner campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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