At least two surrogates for Graham Platner’s U.S. Senate campaign say they’re sticking with the political newcomer despite the emergence of embarrassing and controversial social media statements about racism, sexual assault in the military and police officers.

This comes just one day after the chair of Democratic National Committee called Platner’s posts hurtful but not “disqualifying.”

Karen Heck, a former Waterville mayor who introduced Platner at a town hall event last week, pointed to a seeming double standard between the two parties. She noted how many national Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, dismissed racist comments in a group chat used by young Republican leaders in New York. The chats were first reported by Politico.

Old social media posts, Heck said, present an ongoing challenge for a generation of candidates who grew up online and use social media. She noted that Platner’s most recent posts were several years old, while the Republican chats about loving Hitler and joking about gas chambers were current.

“The Democrats have a purity standard that the Republicans ignore,” said Heck, 73. “I think the Democrats expecting to have the perfect candidate is what really hampers the party. I also think that younger people want change and the Democratic national leadership doesn’t understand how angry those of us are who have been fighting for a lot of this stuff for a long time are.”

The disclosures threatened to blunt the early enthusiasm and fundraising of the first-time candidate, stoking concerns about running someone untested against a Republican stalwart like U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

The series of disclosures prompted Platner’s Maine political director, former state Rep. Genevieve McDonald, to resign late Friday.

Platner apologized for his comments, some of which were made more than a decade ago, in a nearly five-minute video on Friday afternoon, saying they were made when he was struggling with mental health issues upon returning from military service and that they no longer reflect who is as a person.

He said he sees “words and statements I abhor” in his old comments, before talking about how he has grown since then. He has since used the controversy to encourage other veterans struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder to get help.

Although Platner’s campaign has been running against “the establishment” — a reference to Gov. Janet Mills, 77, being the preferred candidate of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — it did receive some cover from an unlikely source over the weekend.

The head of the Democratic National Committee, which doesn’t get involved in primaries, denounced the comments but also said Platner deserves a second chance.

“I don’t think they’re disqualifying, but certainly they’re not right,” DNC Chairman Ken Martin said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “I’m glad that he apologized for them. They’re indefensible, they’re hurtful and they’re offensive.”

Platner’s campaign did not respond to questions Monday about Martin’s comments or whether it has appointed a new political director.

‘PEOPLE EVOLVE’

CNN first reported Platner’s Reddit comment history last week, pointing to statements he made within the last four years about rural white Americans “actually” being racists and “all” police officers being bastards. And he said his service in the Marines and Army National Guard made him “stop believing in any of the patriotic nonsense that got me there in the first place.”

Politico followed with a report about other since-deleted posts from 2018, saying violence may be needed for political change. And the Washington Post reported Friday that Platner had previously posted dismissive comments about sexual assault in the military.

The disclosures came only days after Mills announced her candidacy.

Mills said on Thursday that she “obviously” disagreed with his comments about rural white people and police. When asked Monday about additional comments that have come to light, a campaign spokesperson said “the governor strongly disagrees with the comments.”

Heck, the former Waterville mayor, said she was moved by Platner’s apology, which she said added context. She said Platner must do more to address his comments about sexual assault in the military, but she still counts herself as a supporter.

“Men have to take responsibility for that,” she said. “It’s not the survivor’s fault.”

State Rep. Rafael Macias, a Topsham Democrat who introduced Platner at a town hall event in Brunswick, said he agreed with several of Platner’s old posts and continues to support him because of vocal opposition to what he sees as a rising fascist movement on the political right and Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

“I am a Democrat, but the Democrat party is standing by watching fascism happen,” Macias, 54, said. “There’s cowardice on both sides of the aisle, but the Republicans are getting a free pass for the deplorable shit that they say.”

Macias said he supports both Platner and Jordan Wood because each has been holding town halls across the state, but said he’s drawn to Platner’s authenticity.

“His apology was one of the best I have ever seen from a politician,” Macias said. “That guy is an authentic, genuine person. I can see a change in him.”

Several other campaign surrogates, including two state representatives and a lobbyist, did not respond to the Press Herald’s interview requests.

Renee Cote, 67, who attended Platner’s rally in Lewiston last week, said she still supports him.

Rather than be deterred by the old comments, Cote said Monday that she’s more interested in Platner’s priorities if elected, highlighting his remarks in Lewiston about investing in rural hospitals, education and other domestic needs, rather than providing aid for “someone else’s genocide.”

“The things he would do are way more important to me than the things he might have written online,” she said. “People evolve and he’s trying to present his evolution. Obviously, not everyone is going to buy that, but I think it’s true that people go through traumatic experiences and they evolve.”