Graham Platner

Graham Cunningham Platner (born September 1, 1984) is an American oyster farmer, Marine Corps veteran, and politician. Platner was the Democratic nominee in the 2026 US Senate election in Maine until he ended his campaign in July. Born and raised in coastal Maine, Platner enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating from high school. He served eight years, including three combat tours in Iraq as a Marine and one in Afghanistan with the Maryland Army National Guard. After his military service, he worked as a security contractor in Afghanistan before returning to Maine and entering the oyster farming business. From there, he took over an operation in 2020 and became active in local government before announcing his candidacy for the US Senate in August 2025. Platner has been described as a populist and a progressive who is critical of the Democratic Party establishment. His platform focuses on issues such as housing affordability, universal health care, strengthening labor unions, reducing the political power of billionaires, and ending US involvement in what he calls "pointless" wars. Platner's candidacy was marked by several controversies, including past statements on Reddit, a Nazi-era Totenkopf tattoo on his chest, and alleged misconduct in romantic relationships, including a history of sexting several women during his marriage and physically threatening and disturbing behavior toward past romantic partners. In July 2026, a former girlfriend accused Platner of raping her, after which several elected Democrats and the Maine Democratic Party rescinded their endorsements and called for him to end his campaign. He suspended his campaign days later while denying all allegations of rape and abuse. Platner withdrew from the race on July 10.