Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin said Sunday he believes in “second chances” regarding Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, saying he thinks Platner acknowledges his “harmful” words.
Platner apologized in a video on X on Friday for social media posts he made on Reddit in 2018, during which he was “struggling deeply” after serving in the Army. The deleted posts, made on the subreddit r/SocialistRA, included statements like if people “expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle, they ought to do some reading of history,” and another post saying “an armed working class is a requirement for economic justice.”
Martin expressed gratitude for Platner’s apology, saying he doesn’t think the candidate’s past statements are “disqualifying” but are also “not right.”
“They’re indefensible, they’re hurtful, and they’re offensive. The question, though, is, I believe in second chances. I believe a lot of people say things at their most vulnerable times. They say things when they’re young, that, again, are offensive, and the question for me is whether or not they actually learn from them, whether or not they actually reflect on those, that they’re sincere in their apology, and, more importantly, that they have changed their behavior,” Martin said on CNN’s State of the Union.
“And as I’ve listened to Graham Platner, I absolutely believe in his contrition here. I believe that he acknowledges that the words he used were harmful and offensive to so many people throughout this country,” Martin said.
Platner and Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) will face each other in the Democratic primary race to challenge sitting Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), one of several Senate seats up for reelection next year. The Democratic Party is looking to retake the House and the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections.
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Martin if the DNC is ignoring “one of the big takeaways” from the 2024 election, in which voters did not support reelecting former President Joe Biden, who was 81 prior to Election Day. Besides Mills, 77, entering a Senate race, Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) is running to primary Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), 79, next year.
Martin said it will be “up to the primary voters” to decide who will be the best candidates to run against Republicans. Meanwhile, he will “build the infrastructure” and “fight like hell” once the primary races are decided.