Democrats Have Tied Themselves to Graham Platner

It wasn’t just the existence of the Waffen SS tattoo on Graham Platner’s chest that raised questions about his judgment. It was the way we learned about it.

“My Totenkopf,” as Platner allegedly referred to it, according to an anonymous acquaintance who related a troubling 2012 exchange with the candidate to reporters, was revealed to the public by his former campaign director. Former state Representative Genevieve McDonald told the Bangor Daily News about the offending mark following her resignation from the campaign after warning that it “could be problematic.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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It wasn’t just the existence of the Waffen SS tattoo on Graham Platner’s chest that raised questions about his judgment. It was the way we learned about it.

“My Totenkopf,” as Platner allegedly referred to it, according to an anonymous acquaintance who related a troubling 2012 exchange with the candidate to reporters, was revealed to the public by his former campaign director. Former state Representative Genevieve McDonald told the Bangor Daily News about the offending mark following her resignation from the campaign after warning that it “could be problematic.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.