Washington Examiner columnist Joe Concha argued that Democrats only support progressive newcomer Graham Platner in the 2026 Maine Senate race because he carries the title of Democrat.
“The reason why he gets away with this is because there’s a letter next to his name, that’s D,” Concha said on Fox Business’s Kudlow Friday.
Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) dropped out of the race on April 30, which allowed Platner to come forward as the Democratic nominee.
Concha criticized Democrats like Bernie Sanders and Hasan Piker for supporting Platner.
Concha argued that Sanders, who is Jewish, shouldn’t support Platner. “I would think he wouldn’t endorse the guy with a Nazi tattoo,” Concha said.
In October 2025, Platner came under fire after a photo circulated of him with a tattoo of a famous Nazi symbol, the Totenkopf. Platner said he got the tattoo in 2007 while intoxicated, claiming ignorance of its neo-Nazi associations, and has since covered it.
In an interview with Tommy Vietor of Pod Save America, Platner said, “I am not a secret Nazi.”
Platner also made several now-deleted posts on Reddit, including one about an “armed working class.” Platner apologized for the posts on X.
“If you were a Republican, this would have been disqualifying,” Concha said.
Concha also attacked Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) for backing Platner amid controversy surrounding his tattoo.
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“Remeber when Elon Musk waved to a crowd, and they said ‘he’s making a Nazi salute,’ Concha said. “Tim Walz went off on Elon Musk for that, but now he’s endorsing Platner.”
“If this is where the Democratic Party wants to go, you said it’s a loser,” Concha said in reference to host Larry Kudlow’s comments that Platner running for Maine is “a loser.”