Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, a Marine veteran running as a left-wing populist, faces renewed criticism over resurfaced Reddit posts that appear to contradict his current anti-war stance; the New York Post reports.
Posting as “P-Hustle,” which CNN linked to him, Platner in 2013 defended a Marine who urinated on a Taliban corpse, calling it a “poor choice” only because of “media affairs.” He argued that such acts were once “standard” in warfare.
“It’s amusing that today killing a man isn’t worthy of comment,” Platner wrote, “but god forbid you display dominance. Only 50 years ago, and for the rest of the history of warfare, this stuff was pretty standard.”
Platner later deleted his Reddit history before launching his 2025 campaign, calling the posts “me f—king around the internet” and not reflective of who he is today.
A veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan, Platner often spoke online about enjoying combat, describing it as the “most enjoyable experience” of his life and “the best god****n thing in the world.” In 2020 he admitted he enlisted “to kill some people” and that fighting gave him a “feeling of accomplishment that cannot be replicated.”
However, later posts show his outlook apparently changed. By 2020 and 2021, he condemned U.S. wars as “pointless,” called the losses “a waste of time,” and said, “This stupid f–king war can’t end soon enough.” He told CNN that aging and experience made him “protective” of younger Marines and that he would be better off if he hadn’t fought in Ramadi.
An oyster farmer, Platner campaigns against what he calls “ill-conceived” bombings in Iran and criticizes Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) for her Iraq War support. “She sent me and my friends to die in Iraq,” he wrote on X last year.
Still, his online past keeps surfacing. Earlier Reddit posts reveal he once described himself as a “communist,” and blasted “all” police as “bastards.”
Platner currently leads Gov. Janet Mills (D) by nearly 20 points ahead of Maine’s June 9 Democratic primary. The winner will face Collins, New England’s only remaining Republican in Congress, who is again viewed as vulnerable but battle-tested.