‘I’ve been about as crudely atheist as one can be,’ Senate candidate wrote
Graham Platner, a Democratic Senate candidate from Maine known for his now-covered Nazi tattoo, described himself as so “crudely atheist” that he derided Jesus Christ as a “zombie” and the Virgin Mary as “a skank” in a newly uncovered Reddit post.
In the post, Platner responded to a 2008 lawsuit that claimed a soldier was denied a promotion for not embracing “fundamentalist Christianity.” Platner asked, “What units is this shit in?” and stated that while “I’ve spent 8 years in the infantry … I’ve been about as crudely atheist as one can be the entire time.” Platner cited “zombie jesus jokes and Mary sucking at covering up being a skank” as examples of what he found humorous during his years in the military.
The post is still live but doesn’t display its author. An archived version of the post reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon shows it belongs to a now-deleted account associated with Platner. The post was first highlighted by conservative commentator Greg Price.
Christians make up a majority of Maine, according to Pew Research.
Platner’s campaign has been dogged by a series of offensive remarks the candidate made on Reddit, including posts blaming victims for their rapes, posts calling military officers “gay” and other Reddit users “fags,” and anti-white and anti-police posts. He also asked why black people “don’t tip.” Additionally, he wrote that accusing him of watching CNN is worse than calling him a “retard.”
He came under fire in October when a video surfaced showing a Nazi Totenkopf tattoo on his chest, which he got in Croatia in 2007 while serving in the Marine Corps. He has since covered up the tattoo.
Multiple Platner staffers quit the campaign in the wake of the fallout over the Reddit posts and the tattoo.
The Platner campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
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