Graham Platner referred to jokes about a “zombie” Jesus and his mother Mary being a “skank” in an old post on Reddit.
The comment appeared to be in response to a 2008 lawsuit filed by U.S. soldier Jeremy Hall, who alleged he was denied promotion within the U.S. Army because of his atheism.
Platner cast doubt on the validity of Hall’s claim in the Reddit post, made on Sept. 11, 2012, saying, “I’ve spent 8 years in the infantry, Marine Corps and Army, and I’ve been about as crudely atheist as one can be the entire time (zombie jesus jokes and Mary sucking at covering up being a skank, as examples).”
The Sullivan oyster farmer said that “Promotion came like normal” and that Hall was “likely just a sh—- soldier.”
The Washington Free Beacon first reported on the post after conservative commenter Greg Price discussed it on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The post is still visible on Reddit, though the name of the author isn’t. An archived version shows it was posted by P-Hustle, a handle associated with Platner.
Spokespersons for the Platner and Mills campaigns didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment Friday.
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It’s the latest instance of Platner coming under fire for old posts on Reddit. His campaign was beset with controversy last fall when many inflammatory internet posts became public, including numerous deleted posts in which Platner asked why Black people “don’t tip” and suggesting that women concerned about rape not drink around certain people, among others.
He has distanced himself from many of those old posts and called others where he used homophobic slurs “indefensible.”
Platner encountered more turbulence when a video came out showing he had a chest tattoo depicting a skull superimposed over crossbones, resembling the Totenkopf symbol adopted by the Nazi SS during World War II.
Platner denied knowing that his tattoo was a Nazi symbol. He got the tattoo in 2007 while deployed abroad with the U.S. Marines. While on leave, Platner and other Marines went to Croatia, where they got “very inebriated” and decided to get tattoos. He said that they all picked “terrifying” designs off the wall.
He has since gotten it covered.
At the same time, his campaign saw a number of high-level departures, including his national financial director, treasurer, campaign manager and political director.
Despite the barrage of negative headlines, Platner vowed to stay in the race.
Term-limited Gov. Janet Mills, who is vying for the Democratic nomination to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in November, has leaned heavily on Platner’s online comments, featuring them in two recent attack ads in a bid to build a strong base among likely female voters.
Mills has said that Republicans would make “mincemeat” of Platner if he emerges as the party’s standard-bearer for the November election.
On Thursday, Platner attended a Passover seder in Bath to counter vulnerability over his criticism of Israel and last fall’s controversy over his tattoo.
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Still, Platner has maintained a strong lead in the Democratic field, which also includes Old Town native David Costello, in recent polls, including a 38-point lead over Mills in the University of New Hampshire’s February Pine Tree State Poll, a 7-point lead in a March poll from Portland-based Pan Atlantic Research and a 27-point lead in a March poll from Emerson College in Boston.
Democrats face an uphill battle to unseat Collins, who officially announced her historic bid for a sixth term in February. She has handily beaten back challengers, including in 2020 when she defied polls and expectations to secure a fifth term in the Senate. But Collins, who has been ranked the country’s most bipartisan senator, has seen her popularity slump since Republican President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House.
Republicans are largely aligned with Collins, who commanded 67% support among likely primary voters, according to that February Pine Tree State Poll.
The Senate race is shaping up to be an expensive one, with the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican super PAC, pledging to spend at least $42 million to help Collins defend her seat. If Collins is successful in winning a sixth term, she would be Maine’s longest-serving U.S. senator.