Standards sure seem to have a short shelf life when the bench runs thin. After Democratic candidate Janet Mills exited Maine’s Senate race due to weak fundraising, the left didn’t pause to reassess – they pivoted straight into defense mode for the next controversial name in line.

Enter Graham Platner, the left’s anointed (and progressive) candidate with a resumé that comes with lots of unsavory things. But what’s a Democrat to do??! They just HAVE to beat RINO Senator Susan Collins no matter what.

Platner’s past includes inflammatory comments and even a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he covered up once it became a career liability.

Here is Graham Platner’s former campaign manager (who refused to sign a $15,000 NDA)

She posted this after her resignation. pic.twitter.com/hspSnDcriR

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) May 1, 2026

Graham Platner not only has a totenkopf tattoo, but he was celebrating when Hamas murdered Jews. This guy shouldn’t be anywhere near public office.

John Fetterman also maybe the last reasonable Democrat in office. pic.twitter.com/lwIWON3xIi

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) May 2, 2026

But now? He’s suddenly a redemption story and the Dems are rallying behind him.

🚨 You Can’t Make This Up

Elizabeth Warren called Pete Hegseth’s Christian tattoos a “threat”

Now she’s all in for Graham Platner, the guy with a Nazi SS skull tattoo saying he’s “the fighter we need.”

Hypocrisy level: Comanche
What a joke. pic.twitter.com/Bi3Z4bKfWm

— Alec Lace (@AlecLace) May 1, 2026

Maryland Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen is leading the cleanup effort, insisting Platner has learned from his mistakes and deserves a second look.

What mistakes, you ask?

Platner’s inflammatory comments included slurs against people with special needs, calling police officers “bastards” and saying that service members who get raped should “not get so f***ed up that they wind up having sex with someone they didn’t mean to.”

Not exactly the kind of record you’d expect to be brushed off as a minor misstep – unless political convenience suddenly outweighs everything else. And it does.

When the bench clears but the race still needs a warm body to take on the Republican, standards suddenly become optional. What’s left is a party closing ranks and calling it “unity,” while Platner’s record gets waved off like a minor footnote instead of the glaring warning sign it is.

When winning is the priority for the Dems, disqualifying conduct and flaws turn into “forgivable” ones and the bar doesn’t just get lowered – it gets buried.