Graham Platner Just Lost His Brand-New Campaign Manager

Graham Platner is contending with yet another prominent exit from his Senate campaign staff as his Maine Senate candidacy continues to face scrutiny following several high-profile controversies.

Axios reports Kevin Brown, who just joined the team as campaign manager, is already exiting the role, according to sources. In a statement to the outlet, Brown cited personal reasons for his departure and did not allude to any of the numerous media reports swirling around the campaign.

“Graham is a dear friend,” Brown told Axios. “I started this campaign Tuesday but found out Friday we have a baby on the way. Graham deserves someone who is 100 percent 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.”

Since Platner burst onto the political scene in August, his populist campaign to defeat longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins has been hit with a seemingly unending stream of reports on the candidate’s past behavior. Numerous outlets unearthed thousands of years-old Reddit posts from Platner where he called himself a communist, used slurs and offensive language, and even appeared to make light of sexual assault. Genevieve McDonald, a former Maine representative who joined Platner’s campaign as political director, left her role following the reports, saying his past remarks “are not words or values I can stand behind in a candidate.” McDonald told Politico that the Platner campaign has begun sending nondisclosure agreements to staffers and that she was offered to sign one for $15,000, which she refused. The Platner campaign refuted this claim to the outlet, saying it was a severance offer.

Soon after, Platner was under fire after it was revealed he had a skull-and-bones tattoo on his chest that resembled the Nazi symbol for the SS. In both instances, Platner addressed the controversies in direct-to-camera videos shared to social media. Regarding the past Reddit posts, Platner said they were a result of a young man disillusioned with the world and contending with PTSD from his military service who sought community online and that they were not representative of his current beliefs. As for the tattoo, Platner was emphatic that he was unaware of the tattoo’s resemblance to the Nazi insignia and has since covered up the image with a new design.

Platner has given no indication that he intends to leave the race as he’s set to face Governor Janet Mills, who has the backing of the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm, in the primary. In a tweet to his official campaign account, Platner cited a recent poll that shows him leading Mills 45 percent to 26 percent. “The voters have seen the DC smear campaign. They’re hearing it from every media outlet. It just isn’t working,” he wrote.