Colin Hurd is a veteran and civil rights lawyer working in Augusta.

Recent revelations about Graham Platner’s unsavory Reddit posts from 2021 and an ill-considered tattoo from 2007 have not changed my opinion of the man — nor should it change
yours. He still has my vote for Senate in 2026.

I have not seen the Reddit posts myself, so I cannot speak to whether they are indeed as
bad as the media hypes them to be. I suspect they are not, but it doesn’t really matter. Anti-gay
slurs, comments bordering on racism and insensitivity toward sexual harassment are never
appropriate for a congressional candidate.

But here’s the thing: he was not a congressional candidate in 2021. He was a troubled man dealing with symptoms of PTSD and alienation after leaving the military. While these facts do not excuse his comments, they certainly explain his state of mind.

We, as fellow human beings who have also had bad days and bad periods of our lives, who have all said and done things we should not have said or done (whether in person or online), should perhaps treat Graham with a little bit of forbearance. Let he who is without sin cast the first stone — but first, let him reveal the entirety of his social media and web browsing history for all to see.

Any takers?

Is it only a coincidence that Graham’s past misdeeds were unearthed only eight days after
Janet Mills announced her candidacy? I won’t presume that her campaign is responsible for the
excavation, but it is a typical dirty tactic perfected by her generation.

Regardless, if we wish to preserve this republic of ours, then our politics needs to change. Our (dying) democratic system cannot continue to function if we disqualify candidates for office because they made bad decisions or made stupid comments in the worst moments of their lives.

If you are concerned about the man’s character, you should not look at his words from half a decade ago, but at his actions today. What has he done since news of the Reddit posts came out?

First, he did not lie or obfuscate but admitted that the posts were his. Second, he did not try to defend them but said they were examples of “me not knowing what I’m talking about,” that he was “trying to get a rise out of people on the internet,” and he was “utterly horrified” by some of his words. Third, he was forthright about his tattoo, announcing recently that he had it altered because it was “deeply offensive to my core beliefs.”

Graham could have tried to hide the existence of that tattoo and had it altered without anyone knowing about it. Instead, he had the courage to address the issue head-on. These actions are not those of a secret Nazi, or of a politician trying to pull the wool over our eyes. On the contrary, Graham’s actions show he has courage and integrity, and that he accepts accountability for his own behavior. We need that kind of integrity and courage in the Senate, especially in these troubled times.

If you want to vote against the man, do so because you disagree with his policy positions,
not because he said something stupid and insensitive several years ago. If you want more of the
same from the Democratic Party — the focus group-driven, corporate-sponsored, backbone vacant, “we know better than you” paternalism — then by all means, vote for someone like Janet Mills.

But if you want someone who actually cares about the working class, who tells the truth and
actually answers the questions he’s asked, who takes responsibility for his past mistakes and
does not try to shirk or hide from the consequences; if you want someone that will fight to get
big money out of politics, to achieve affordable health care for all and to oppose the authoritarian slide of Trump and the Republican Party — then perhaps you should consider voting for Graham
Platner.