Democratic Senate Candidate Graham Platner's Skull Tattoo Might Have a Dark Meaning

The Democratic party has grown stale and in 2025, is desperate for new blood and messaging that actually speaks to people. Pundits have asked questions like, "Where is the party's Joe Rogan?" Here's the thing, the party's Joe Rogan used to be Joe Rogan. When you start losing people, that's a problem. Anyone who follows politics knows that many Americans feel as if they no longer identify with the Democratic party, and are hoping someone will step up to lead the way.

Enter Graham Platner, an oysterman from Maine whose Senate campaign is getting a lot of attention from both sides of the aisle. In viral clips, the Marine and U.S. Army Veteran speaks plainly. He doesn't engage in hateful rhetoric aimed toward conservatives, but rather chooses empathy for a group of people Graham believes have been tricked by the leaders of their party. Naturally, folks have started digging up dirt on Graham, which includes questioning the meaning of his skull tattoo.

Before the opposition could slam Graham for his skull tattoo, the Senate hopeful's team released a video from a decade ago in which the shirtless veteran is lip synching to Miley Cyrus's "Wrecking Ball." The performance was at his brother's wedding and was a gift to him and his new wife. The skull and crossbones tattoo is on the right side of Graham's chest. It didn't take long for some people to accuse the oyster farmer of being a Nazi based on the alleged meaning behind the tattoo.

Graham was asked by Pod Save America's Tommy Vietor to clarify what the tattoo means. "I've been told that some of your political opponents are telling reporters that that tattoo has a Nazi affiliation," said Tommy, "and I would like to know, is that accurate?" Graham said not only is he not a Nazi, but if you read through some recently leaked Reddit comments, you can figure out where he stands on Nazism, antisemitism, and racism in general.

Back in 2007, Graham was a machine gun section leader on his third deployment. He and a group of fellow Marines went ashore to the city of Split in Croatia, where they decided to get tattoos after some heavy drinking. They wandered into a tattoo shop and chose a "terrifying-looking skull and crossbones off the wall" because skulls and crossbones are a pretty standard in the military as far as artwork goes. "We got those tattoos, and then we all moved on with our lives."

Graham goes onto explain that he has never tried to hide the tattoo and in fact, has been shirtless in public numerous times. Sharing the video from his brother's wedding was meant to demonstrate that friends and loved ones have also seen the tattoo, and have not said anything about it. "At no point in this entire experience of my life did anybody ever once say, 'Hey, you're a Nazi.'"

The skull tattoo has been described as a Totenkopf. According to the Anti-Defamation League, a form of this image was adopted by Nazi police during the Nazi era. Graham told Politico that he didn't realize this resembled a Nazi symbol. "I absolutely would not have gone through life having this on my chest if I knew that — and to insinuate that I did is disgusting. I am already planning to get this removed," he said.