Top Advisers Resign From Graham Platner Campaign

Ronald Holmes III resigned Friday as national finance director for Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, saying his professional standards no longer aligned with the campaign. He is the third major staff exit after campaign manager Kevin Brown and political director Genevieve McDonald left amid turmoil. The departures followed resurfaced social-media and Reddit posts of offensive comments and the revelation Platner had a Totenkopf-style tattoo he says he is now covering; Platner has denied knowing the tattoo’s meaning and defended his background. The campaign says Holmes focused on courting big-dollar donors while nearly 90% of its receipts have come from small-dollar online contributions and that it raised more than $3.2 million in the first six weeks. Platner, a 41-year-old military veteran and oyster farmer endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, faces intensified scrutiny over his viability ahead of a competitive Democratic primary against Sen. Susan Collins in 2026.