Sen. Van Hollen backs Maine candidate despite Nazi-linked tattoo

politicsMay 1, 2026872,747

Sen. Chris Van Hollen publicly defended Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner after reports that Platner has a Nazi-linked tattoo and made controversial past comments. Van Hollen cited Platner's PTSD and argued that "second chances matter" as justification for backing him. The endorsement from a senior Democrat could affect perceptions in the Maine race while prompting scrutiny over candidate vetting and standards for public office.

Aparna Nair

@disabilitystor1.bsky.social

I think that I do not consider it being a function of the "Bluesky bubble" that people might consider a Nazi tattoo disqualifying.

Peter Sagal

‪@petersagal.bsky.social‬

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FWIW: While on here he is History's Greatest Monster (Senate primary subdivision) I was in Maine recently and talked to some Dem-leaning voters and they were very positive about Graham Platner while well aware of his flaws etc.

There may be no better current example of the Bluesky Bubble.
10:03 AM · Apr 30, 2026

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‪Peter Sagal‬
‪@petersagal.bsky.social‬
· 1d
Folks, rather than shouting at me or insulting me or holding me up as an example of Everything That’s Bad and How We Got Trump just block me! It’ll save us both time and trouble.

‪Peter Sagal‬
‪@petersagal.bsky.social‬
· 1d
Well, this has been depressing.

‪David Roberts‬
‪@volts.wtf‬
· 1d
Welcome to bluesky.

5404d ago

Aparna Nair137

I see the pro-Platner bots and trolls are teeming; girl, Im not even American, I just think a Nazi tattoo is disqualifying; on any politician, anywhere. You can vote for your pet Nazi, and live your life.

Bess Hamilton85

I know I'm old because I remember a time when a person would be *immediately* dropped as a candidate the moment the party heads learned about a Nazi tattoo. And it would be so swift & thorough a dropping that no one would remember the guy's name. He'd be a niche trivia answer.

Neil59

"Bluesky bubble" is pretty much journalist-speak for "I thought I'd be congratulated for a clever take but instead people were mean to me".

Aparna Nair58

Not a bunch of you showing up to tell me why you support this candidate in the comments: do as you please, I really do not care. My post was directly addressing the dismissive nature of Sagal's claim that it was a "Bubble" which produces critiques of Pl*tner.

Dr. Katja Thieme (she/they)56

Some peeps will be claiming we need ways to disagree. And then when they encounter disagreement they’ll call those disagreeing a huddle in a bubble.

Immigrant Punk31

I'm tempted to pin this for a while...

Spider.29

Ah, yes, the old men at my synagogue, part of the BlueSky bubble.

stephkat17.bsky.social25

Peter also spent many many months defending and supporting Olivia Nuzzi soooo he can have a seat actually.

Jeff, formerly of MN and MA, still God of Cookies25

Wait! Wait! Don't tell me! WHITE PEOPLE WILL EXCUSE ANYTHING!

Erik Vorhes24

“Well, this has been depressing,” feels pretty accurate, but Peter and I mean different things by “this,” I guess. (I really don’t understand the willful disregard of a Totenkopf tattoo and recent ableist language.)

Matt20

Sagal said people canceling their Washington Post subscriptions is "How We Got Trump." It's what Trump wants, we're betraying journalists, etc. Weapons-grade cynical smugness, exacerbated by the fact that he seems to think he's a distinguished media theorist by virtue of his game show being on NPR.

Jon Phillips15

Every time he pops up in my feed, it's pushing the absolute worst takes, defending the absolute worst people

E. Hatt-Swank8

How exactly is it being in a "bubble" to say "damn, the voters in Maine are potentially screwing up a good chance to beat Susan Collins and i wish they would reconsider"? Folks are allowed to have different opinions on a topic.

kckckc | free link7

A while back, he was whining about how posting is pointless. I think I have him blocked, but he has a gazillion followers. Bad take after bad take

Rev. Deral "FreeLink" Fenderson7

I'd be down on the guy on Facebook or Twitter or anywhere else besides here. He lost me at "Nazi tattoo" and then finding out more didn't improve him any in my opinion ("Blacks don't tip", the mercenary work, just being at Abu Gharaib, the recent r-word slur usage, etc) We gotta do better. 🤷‍♂️

THAAD7

It's weird to me, because Bluesky is actually the main place I *do* see how eager certain sorts of Democrat are to embrace an obvious Strasserite.

Worf's Aunt Masha from Babruysk7

If that is now a function of the "Bluesky bubble", we are cooked.

Call me Trixie6

I don't feel bad about it either. I don't care that he's popular. I'm too old to care about what's popular. People don't like Nazi tattoos. Look at how much everyone hates Hegseth and multiply that.

Import Jr. Records6

are… are they saying that wanting someone who didn’t have a “Nazi phase” or whatever is … a “purity test” now too or something? like, getting into one of the most awful, basically cannibalistic political parties just because some algorithm pushed it at you is forgivable? we are doomed

Dan Mitchell5

Nobody said anything like that he's "history's greatest monster." Guys walking around with Nazi tattoos (and etc.) is a problem, even when we vote for them in order to defeat ghouls and wantwits. (Also, did @volts.wtf endorse Sagal's "bubble" talk there?).

Paul Callahan (he/him)4

"Bluesky bubble" = The last remnants of human decency. I don't even mean it facetiously. Of course, there are decent people not on Bluesky or any social media (or maybe who haven't left X yet though I'm not sure). But standards have dropped and what should be disqualifying doesn't faze many people

Olivia Just Wants Tech To Be Fun Again4

Okay Peter Sagal, where in Maine were you? What was the average age of the people you spoke with? And please, define for us what precisely do you mean by "flaws"? Were said "flaws" defined for these people you allegedly spoke with?

costrike3

Whenever I hang a "kick me" sign on my back, I try to resist the urge to play the victim

Ozma2

Also there was a hot dispute on it here? With the more famous politically inflential people on the side of slur use & Nazi tits? And most other bigshots staying neutral? So how is that a bubble? People argued and landed on different sides. You could go either way.

Caldé time2

Media bubble has rotted Peter's brain

Michael Clyne2

"Everything I don't like is a bluesky bubble!" I happily blocked Sagal for this bullshit.

LurkyMcLurk2

I think anyone who hosts Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me should be fired into the sun, really

SAINT ZAIYA 🌨️

@saintzaiya.blacksky.app

So you’re telling me that there’s a leftist candidate in Maine that has never had a Nazi tattoo and we’re still going with the Nazi tattoo guy?

1874d ago

Cheeze Weazel14

Well yes but you see it's easier to support the candidate that already has an enormous platform and requires no further work. If we support Andrea LaFlamme then we'd actually have to work hard and that's icky.

Aster7

We desperately need a real opposition this shit is so stupid

פינחס יוסף מונד

@pymundgenealogy.bsky.social

You know what the problem with that Nazi tattoo guy is? He's probably Jewish

2234d ago

Marble Liberal12

In the 19th century they hated you because they thought you were the only ethnicity that didn't like war. Now they hate you because they think you're the only ethnicity who does

Neal Finne9

Can’t spell “oyster farmer” without “oy.”

eli7

This is a new type of guy for me Truly our haters contain multitudes

William Burns6

Oyster fishing, a profession well-known to be dominated by Jews.

Josh Dobbin3

they always find a way. It'd be funny if it wasn't so the-opposite-of-funny.

Prestidigitator John 🇵🇸🇺🇦🇨🇦3

Congratulations I think you found the worst take I’ve ever seen

Frank Conniff

@frankconniff.bsky.social

Establishment Democrats, as they are wont to do, screwed up, and it looks like the Nazi tattoo guy Is going to win the primary. Oh well, look at it this way I guess: between Graham Platner and Susan Collins, Platner is the Fuhrer of two evils.

1735d ago

Stashdragon9

They really couldn't find anyone better than an ex-nazi? Well, I guess they are a really dumb state. I feel bad for any Jewish, Black and Brown people who are watching this happen. I would not feel safe in that state anymore.

CK8

Hey Frank, watch Platner's interview with Medhi Hasan and then judge the guy. Or do you just want to inflexibly hold on to a first impression you heard someone else talk about?

Andrew Tressler6

Bernie fucking Sanders worked to get this guy the nomination and you're still reflexively blaming Democrats.

Kwertzy Industries6

Maine Kampf and Miss Very Concerned

Evan in NH6

Frank, Platner is much more than his offensive tattoo and stupid Reddit comments. He’s a good example of a person on a positive life journey who genuinely appears to concerned for the best interests of his fellow Mainers and Americans. I was wary about him after the tattoo BS but he won me over.

TV's Adam, getting some buzzards involved,5

i'm trying to think about the silver lining regardless of the outcome: if platner wins collins isn't in the senate anymore, and if collins wins democrats might learn a valuable lesson about letting a guy who etched nazi iconography into his flesh run for senate under their banner

mjpeez.bsky.social5

Vote blue no matter who instead of crying Nazi when you don’t get your way

Joe Frollo4

No nazi tattoos No sexual abuse history No photos/videos in blackface Seems like three pretty simple standards to hold some to for a Senate position.

Candy3

I'm hoping he'll be the opposite of what Fetterman turned out to be.

Kat Aclyzmic2

I’m frankly thrilled. Give me a progressive who’s learned from a rough past over a dem headpiece who speaks only for corporations any day of the week.

Mr. Brndn

@mrbrndnrbnsn.bsky.social

Graham Platner, the guy with the Nazi skull & crossbones tattoo?

1875d ago

Margaret Forsyth44

Graham Platner, the guy with this platform. Read it. The whole thing. www.grahamforsenate.com

LANana #🟦 Nuestra Señora de la Muerte del Pan 😪25

The Nazi Totenkopf symbol, no less. The one he got in Croatia, where that particular symbol is and had been banned by law.

🥶4

I'm going to become one of those "we need to get rid of the Democratic Party and make our own party" people, but because of this bullshit specifically

Alex Ip 葉清霖

@alexip718.com

In which Matt Yglesias openly declares on the Nazi site that Democrats should get Nazi tattoos if they could get a small number of Republican voters to vote for them

Matthew Yglesias
@mattyglesias · 23h
I feel like these two crazy kids are pretty clearly kindred spirits and I hope they can grab some beers and work it out.

Quote
Igor Bobic
@igorbobic · Apr 30
Fetterman on Graham Platner:

“Democrats really, really like Platner in Maine, but the Republicans fucking love him.”

“If Maine wants an asshole with a Nazi tattoo on his chest, they get him.”

Matt Bruenig
@MattBruenig · 23h
Suppose a Democrat could get 20% of Republicans to vote for them (who would not otherwise) by getting a Nazi tattoo but changing nothing else. Should they get the tattoo?

Matthew Yglesias
@mattyglesias
I would do it for a much lower number.
1:23 PM · Apr 30, 2026 · 3,816 Views

1044d ago

Alex Ip 葉清霖39

You should not get a Nazi tattoo because: 1. It is insulting to victims of the Holocaust, soldiers who fought against the Nazis, and their descendants; 2. You will very likely be banned from most of Europe, Latin America, and East Asia, and that affects your ability to serve constituents!

Tyler, from the Internet

@tylerfromtheinternet.com

getting a Nazi tattoo and not "getting rid of it" until last year despite admitting to knowing what it was and then retracting your apology and saying you weren't sorry is not a "mistake when you were younger," you absolute corded Bluetooth device. EVERY MISTAKE ever was made by a younger you.

1124d ago

Dag.17

I was about to post something about this a few minutes ago, but I was too mad. Black boys of 14 who are unarmed and gunned down by cops get the "no angel" treatment. This guy kept a Nazi tattoo, and signed up to work for Erik Pence just a few years ago. Just for fuck sake, white people.

Carl Marxman10

Corded Bluetooth device? Another patented Tyler banger.

jessdee.bsky.social7

I think the thing that strikes me about all the "he just made a mistake" people is like... They're so cheap to buy off? Like, I *want* to think he's reformed and like... I dunno, I feel like doing literally anything material to prove that should be part of this. Otherwise, you're just an easy mark.

Phil7

"you absolute corded Bluetooth device" - just mind-bogglingly savage

Kai TechnoLust (he/him)7

Most of the people you school about stuff like this just show up as “blocked” for me which means the system is working as intended. 🤣

Jeremy Bearimy2

the man literally chose to be a mercenary the only question is are his votes already sold or will he be auctioning them off one at a time?

Elizabeth Cronise McLaughlin

@ecmclaughlin.bsky.social

bUt SHe's sO oLD yeah, but no Nazi tattoo, no rape victims should “take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f—-ked up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?”, no hanging out with guys like "pro-Hitler" candidate Richard Ward. Be well, Mainers. Good luck.

Graham Platner talking to pro-Hitler Bangor city council candidate Richard Ward.

765d ago

NWHiker7

Yeah. And it's not just Mainers that are impacted. If this guy is elected, the media and Rs will make sure that "Dems Elect Nazis" sticks to us forevermore. Tbf, we are sending the message of "Our Nazis ok, their Nazis not ok." 🤢🤮

Suzanne Donnelly "I have friends everywhere"3

One of the infuriating things is that other, better, progressive candidates were *right there* but never caught the media's attention

WatchYourRepsSC&TN2

This looks like SC continuing to elect Lindsey Graham over Jaime Harrison.

bicyclekix.bsky.social

@bicyclekix.bsky.social

I understand why "Nazi tattoo" gets all the play but the lack of coverage of a guy running for Senate saying in writing that he wishes he was alive in the 19th century so that he could have participated in the genocidal slaughter of Native Americans is a little crazy making.

654d ago

Maq

@maqusan.bsky.social

Speaking from an overseas perspective we’re all going ”Jesus fucking Christ on a crumpet they’re calling not having a Nazi tattoo a purity test”. You all sound to anyone outside your bubble like dyed in the wool fascists and it’s wild you can’t see it.

694d ago

Scott 📎😷 free Link defund/abolish 12 Black Lives Matter Menor 🍉6

Having literally any standard at all is somehow a bridge too far it’s wild

Chad Crichton3

The bar's in the damned BASEMENT at this point and yet SO MANY Americans, even Democrats, still seem just utterly incapable of stepping over it.

Democratic Hoecalist

@jygglypuffdaddy.bsky.social

Nazi tattoos not being a dealbreaker in Maine is a problem with Maine actually, not Bluesky.

384d ago

A penitent who is loud

@loudpenitent.bsky.social

Many "antizionists" backing Graham Platner is not in spite of his Nazi tattoo. Some of them are, after all, quite used to marching alongside antisemitic and literal Nazi rhetoric

454d ago

samantha

@commiesamantha.bsky.social

the fucking ss totenkopf is a well known enough symbol that it was the punchline of a mitchell and webb sketch years ago. holy fuck shut up if your defense of getting a nazi tattoo is that we only invented nazis since 2017 or some shit. every world war 2 movie features this symbol

454d ago

samantha14

"nazi tattoos are a recent phenomenon" mother fucker american history X came out more than 25 years ago after you honestly this stupid

DMiurge10

Still remembering my dad telling me that one of the bad guys in Last Crusade was in the SS and you could tell because of the little skull

Charles Johnson

@charles.littlegreenfootballs.com

If you live in Maine you don’t have to settle for the Nazi tattoo guy. @andrealaflamme.bsky.social is a genuine progressive, a public health professor, and a union leader. She’s a write-in candidate, and you should write her in!

264d ago

Calvinball Congress

@emericanjezebel.bsky.social

I can proudly say that I never got a nazi tattoo! elect me for senate!

424d ago

Liz12

never worked for blackwater, never wrote online about how i wish i could have participated in the wars of annihilation against native americans, never complained about the higher ups in the military clamping down on the war crimes i wanted to commit