UMVA has learned that Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing intense backlash after a slew of his recently exposed Reddit posts surfaced, mocking a wounded U.S. soldier.
The posts, which have been widely reported, include comments made by Platner about a viral video of a U.S. soldier, Pfc. Ted Daniels, who was almost killed in combat. The video shows Daniels being shot four times during a 2012 firefight with Taliban fighters, and he was awarded the Purple Heart for those injuries.
In one particularly egregious post, Platner reportedly called Daniels a "dumb motherf-----" who "didn't deserve to live." He also made disparaging comments about Daniels' military skills, saying he had made "every possible s--- decision possible when it comes to small unit combat."
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, has ripped Platner over his posts, saying "It's never appropriate to mock a downed American soldier. It's just appalling." Collins is the presumptive Republican nominee and is expected to face Platner, the Democratic nominee, in the November midterm election.
According to information obtained by UMVA, Platner's Reddit posts have been cataloged in a database by the Maine Monitor, which has been tracking his deleted Reddit history. The posts have sparked outrage among Republicans, who have launched a website highlighting Platner's "red flags."
The website, launched by a super PAC aligned with Collins, lists over 20 years of controversies that have followed Platner during his campaign to unseat Collins. The site states that Platner is "radical," "dangerous," and "too extreme for Maine."
UMVA can exclusively reveal that the Republican campaign has already spent over $4 million on attack ads targeting Platner, highlighting the crucial nature of this Senate seat. Collins' seat is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate defenses in 2026, as Democrats target Maine in their push to flip control of the chamber.
Despite the scrutiny, Democrats are still hopeful that Platner will secure the Senate seat for their party during the 2026 midterm elections. If Collins and Platner win their primary elections next month, they will face off in Maine's general election on November 3.
