Senate Candidate Responds To Uncovered Reddit Posts Where He Called Himself A ‘Psychedelics Taking Socialist’

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, a Democrat, distanced himself from old, now-deleted social media posts where he referred to himself as a “socialist” and a “communist.”

CNN published an interview with Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer, and a deep dive into his former Reddit handle, P-Hustle.

“That was very much me f**king around the internet,” he told CNN’s KFile in an interview. “I don’t want people to see me for who I was in my worst Internet comment – or even frankly who I was in my best Internet comment … I don’t think any of that is indicative of who I am today, really.”

“I’m not a communist. I’m not a socialist. I own a small business. I’m a Marine Corps veteran,” Platner also told CNN.

Platner’s seemingly uninhibited posts were largely left-leaning and, at times, personal. They could also be curt and inflammatory.

For example, CNN found that Platner repeatedly used an ableist slur to insult social media users. He also called military veterans who participated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection “traitors,” “f**king morons” and “f**king p*ssies.”

In a Reddit exchange, a user said, “Bastards. Cops are bastards.”

“All of them, in fact,” Platner responded.

In 2020, Platner responded to a post titled, “White people aren’t as racist or stupid as Trump thinks.”

Platner flatly disagreed: “Living in white rural America, I’m afraid to tell you they actually are.”

According to Platner’s website, he served in the United States Marine Corps and the Maryland Army National Guard. After having been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, Platner navigated PTSD and physical challenges, his website says.

He also described how his military service radicalized him, prompting him to become more left-leaning.

In one post in 2021, he said he’s “a vegetable growing, psychedelics taking socialist these days. After the war, I’ve pretty much stopped believing in any of the patriotic nonsense that got me there in the first place, and am a firm believer that the best thing a person can do is help their neighbors and live a loving life.”

“Still got the guns though,” he added. “I don’t trust the fascists to act politely.”

In another 2021 post, he said: “My time in America’s imperial wars definitely radicalized me further, and I’m significantly more left today than I was back then.”

“I did used to love America, or at least the idea of it. These days I’m pretty disgusted by it all,” he added.

Platner boiled down his responses to “just being an asshole on the Internet,” according to CNN.

The posts were deleted before Platner, a politics newbie with an endorsement from Sen. Bernie Sanders, launched his campaign in August. He is vying for incumbent Sen. Susan Collins’ seat.

The race is a high-stakes one, with many Democrats hoping to flip Collins’ seat in an effort to get a Dem majority in the Senate next year. Former Maine Gov. Janet Mills also announced that she will be running in the Democratic primary for the same seat. Despite her advanced age, which is an issue for many Maine voters, Mills has already received an endorsement from the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

Platner and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.