Time Draws Fire Over June 8 Graham Platner Cover as Maine Democrat Faces Nazi Tattoo Scrutiny
Updated
Updated · Fox News · May 22
Time Draws Fire Over June 8 Graham Platner Cover as Maine Democrat Faces Nazi Tattoo Scrutiny
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · May 22
Time’s June 8 issue put Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner on its cover, calling his rise “remarkable” and framing him as a scandal-plagued outsider forcing Democrats to weigh political risk.
The backlash centered on Platner’s record: a tattoo widely recognized as a Nazi symbol, a DUI and deleted Reddit posts in which he allegedly made vulgar sexual remarks, called himself a communist and socialist, and mocked a Purple Heart veteran.
Conservative commentators on X accused Time of glorifying a candidate the magazine itself said carried “enough baggage to sink an oyster boat,” with several invoking its 1938 Adolf Hitler cover.
Platner is now the Democrats’ presumptive nominee after Gov. Janet Mills ended her campaign last month; if he wins the June primary, he will challenge five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race that could affect Senate control.
Can a candidate’s controversial past now be an asset for attracting anti-establishment support?
How does media coverage shape the narrative of a flawed 'outsider' versus a traditional politician?
Does the rise of 'fighter' candidates signal a permanent shift in what voters prioritize?