Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Blatner once urged violence as a tool for social change in a now-deleted Reddit post, according to Politico.
Blattner, a former Marine and oyster farmer, wrote in 2018 that “an armed working class is a condition for economic justice” and suggested that those who “expect to fight fascism without a good semi-automatic rifle” should “do some reading of history,” the newspaper reported. I mentioned. (RELATED: 77-year-old Democrat jumps into race to unseat Republican — but first must beat Bernie-backed Oyster Farmer)
It is a style…
Graham Blattner, who is running as a rebellious Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, once suggested in his online posts that violence was a necessary means of achieving social change.
https://t.co/MpkIzCTlR2 via @politico
– Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) October 17, 2025
Blattner did not question his identity in writing the posts, but he recanted his previous rhetoric in a statement to Politico.
“As I told CNN, I was surfing the Internet at a time when I felt so lost and disillusioned with our government that sent me abroad to watch my friends die,” Blattner said. “I made stupid jokes and chose to fight. But of course I’m not a socialist. I’m a small business owner, a Marine veteran, and a retired retiree.”
CNN first I mentioned Thursday that Platner participated in the subreddit r/SocialistRA, along with other left-wing forums. Many of his posts dated back nearly five years and appeared under the Reddit username “P-Hustle,” in which he called police “all bastards,” called himself a communist, and said rural white Americans were racist and stupid.
Blatner deleted his posts in August, the same month he launched his Senate campaign, saying he wanted to distance himself from what he described as the darkest period of his life.
The showdown that Graham Blattner faces here in October of 2025 looks like an attempt by the Democratic Party establishment to sabotage one candidate in favor of another.
– Erik Erikson (@EWErickson) October 17, 2025
After Blatner launched his Senate campaign, the New York Times reported described Consider him a “political novice” focused on improving the lives of working-class Maine and challenging incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.
His previous posts suggest a worldview that is much more left-wing than his initial campaign image. The newspaper reported that Platner appointed Democratic strategist Maurice Katz, who also works with New York City mayoral candidate Zahran Mamdani.
Plattner’s ties to prominent left-wing consultants raise questions about his appeal to independent voters. His first campaign ad was produced by Fight Agency, a Democratic media company that has worked with figures including Mamdani, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Blatner’s senior adviser, Joe Calvillo, previously worked for Hillary Clinton, Sanders, Planned Parenthood, and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.