Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner Faces Backlash Over Past Reddit Comments Mocking Soldier

Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner, a former Marine and Army National Guard veteran, is running to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. Posts from 2019 on his Reddit account called the United States Army “fat, lazy trash” and mocked wounded soldier Pfc. Ted Daniels, a Purple Heart recipient, writing that the soldier “didn’t deserve to live.”

The comments resurfaced during the campaign, prompting criticism from veterans, including Navy SEAL Rob O’Neill, and renewed media scrutiny. When asked by Fox News whether he owed Daniels an apology, Platner declined, saying he did not regret the remarks and defended his record. He had previously issued an apology in October, saying the posts were not reflective of who he is. The controversy has become a focal point in the Senate race.

Platner’s opponents and several veterans’ groups have highlighted the remarks as disrespectful to service members, while Platner argues the criticism reflects internal military debate and his own PTSD struggles.