A Sunday morning talk show panel flared up over Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, turning a debate on candidate vetting into a sharp disagreement over a piece of body art.
The exchange occurred on ABC’s “This Week” during a discussion about unvetted candidates in key state races. Former North Carolina Republican Representative Pat McHenry brought up Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee running to challenge Republican incumbent Senator Susan Collins in Maine.
Platner has recently faced scrutiny over a tattoo inspired by the “Totenkopf” or “Death’s Head”—an insignia historically used by the Nazi regime’s Schutzstaffel (SS), including the units that ran concentration camps and the 3rd Panzer Division.
McHenry used the race to argue that Democrats had failed to properly vet their candidates in states like Texas and Maine. “The Democrats did a nice job of recruiting somebody who had a more moderate image than what you saw in Maine and these other states like Texas,” McHenry said during the broadcast. “But the issue in Maine, just like in Texas, is they have an unvetted candidate. And it turns out the guy with the Nazi tattoo turns out to be a pretty bad guy in Maine, which is the benefit of—”
Faiz Shakir, a panelist and former 2020 campaign manager for Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, cut in to dispute the characterization of the tattoo. “A tattoo that was skull and crossbones, not a Nazi tattoo,” Shakir said.
“OK, we can quibble about whether or not how Nazi the Nazi tattoo,” McHenry responded, “but this is emblematic of his problems. And Maine voters will have a say about it.”
Platner became the likely Democratic nominee for the Maine Senate seat after Governor Janet Mills suspended her campaign. Despite the controversy surrounding the insignia, Platner maintains the political backing of Senator Sanders and several prominent progressive figures. The tattoo is not the first issue to draw criticism toward his campaign; Platner has also faced backlash for explicit social media posts and past comments mocking a wounded American serviceman.
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