Graham Platner’s Nazi tattoo: How the Democratic Senate candidate from Maine tried to ‘cover it up’

Graham Platner is facing major controversy over his past social media posts. The Democratic Senate candidate from Maine is under the scanner also for a Nazi tattoo.

He has a skull-and-crossbones tattoo on his chest, which critics say resembles Nazi symbols. Platner claims he got it while drunk during his Marine service and did not know its meaning.

Platner is attempting to win a US Senate seat that has been long held by Republican Susan Collins. However, he must face Maine’s Democratic primary against Gov. Janet Mills first.

Old Reddit posts show him calling himself a communist. He criticised rural white Americans as “racist and stupid”. He also downplayed sexual assault in the military and abused police officers.

He posted homophobic slurs and cracked anti-LGBTQ jokes between 2018 and 2021, according to the Associated Press.

The controversies have split the Democratic Party. Several key campaign staff resigned in October.

How Graham Platner tried to ‘cover it up’

Graham Platner contacted a friend for help after realising his tattoo had links to Nazi imagery. Mischa Ostberg, a tattoo artist from Ellsworth, told AP that Platner had called her to “cover it up”.

“Hey, I have a tattoo. I found out it’s something I don’t want. Can you help me cover it up?” Platner told Mischa over the phone.

For Ostberg, tattoo cover-ups were normal and agreed immediately. Mischa appreciated Platner’s decision to fix the mistake. She believes this incident proves that Platner is an ordinary person who made a mistake and wanted to correct it.

“We all make mistakes and we don’t have teams to cover it up for us,” Ostberg said.

How he covered up the tattoo

After completing three Marine tours, Graham Platner tried to join the Army. It required him to pass a tattoo examination to ensure he had no hate symbols.

A cover-up design for his chest tattoo was difficult to find because the left side was heavily inked. Ostberg first drew the new design with a Sharpie before completing it over several hours.

The final artwork is a Celtic knot with a dog jumping out of it. It was chosen to reflect Platner’s Scottish roots and his love for his two dogs.

According to Ostberg, public reaction to the tattoo has been harsh. Many are mocking the design or doubting whether the original symbol was fully removed.

“I actually put in a lot of time and effort, even if other people can’t see it. I tried to make it personable to the person I know,” Ostberg said.