Scoop: Graham Platner's campaign manager and longtime friend quits

Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's campaign manager is stepping down from his position after only days on the job, according to two people familiar with his plans.Why it matters: It's the latest in a series of personnel shakeups for Platner's campaign, which was endorsed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) but has been thrown into turmoil because Platner made controversial social media posts in the past and had a tattoo that looked like a Nazi symbol.Zoom in: Kevin Brown, a longtime friend of Platner's who started as campaign manager last week, is leaving his role, the sources said.Platner's former political director, Genevieve McDonald, also previously departed the campaign because of his former posts.Politico reported that before Brown's start date, another aide, Daniel Moraff, worked as the de facto campaign manager, according to McDonald. Moraff denied that he was the official campaign manager. What they're saying: "Graham is a dear friend," Brown said in a statement to Axios. "I started this campaign Tuesday but found out Friday we have a baby on the way. Graham deserves someone who is 100% in on his race and we want to lean into this new experience as a family, so it was best we step back sooner than later so Graham can get the manager he deserves."Catch up quick: Platner previously had a skull-and-crossbones tattoo that experts said resembled the "Totenkopf" logo used by Nazis. Platner said he got it while drinking in his twenties with fellow Marines, and that he didn't know until recently that the image was linked to Nazis. Platner announced last week that he had covered up the tattoo.Platner's campaign has also been upended by a series of crude comments he made in the past on Reddit about rural white people, Black diners and police officers.Platner, a military veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, has said he was struggling with PTSD and depression when he posted the comments. "For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don't recognize, I am deeply sorry," he said. Zoom out: The Democratic Senate primary in Maine has become a battle between the party establishment and its progressive wing. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is the top target for Senate Democrats in the 2026 midterms.Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who is also running for the Democratic nomination, is backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).Sanders has stood by Platner, telling Axios in an interview: "I'm not overly impressed by a squad of media running around saying, 'What do you think about the tattoo on Graham Platner's chest.' "Despite the controversies, early polls in the Maine race have shown Platner leading or within striking distance of Mills.

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