On Monday, Platner said the comments don’t reflect who he is today and at the time many of them were posted, he was suffering from PTSD and depression related to his time in the military.

Last week, he also acknowledged getting a tattoo in 2007 that depicts Nazi symbols but said he had it covered up.

During an hourlong speech followed by a question-and-answer period, Platner emphasized his outsider status.

“We have two political parties in this country that want the votes and the loyalty of working people but have frankly stopped doing anything to deserve it,” he said. 

Platner, an oyster farmer from Sullivan, is the lead challenger of Gov. Janet Mills, who is seeking the Democratic nomination in the race to defeat Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

A poll released last week showed Platner far ahead of Mills, with 58% of those who say they plan to vote in the June primary picking Platner, followed by 24% for Mills. Pollster Andrew Smith of the University of New Hampshire said it’s unlikely many of the respondents knew about Platner’s social media posts at the time the poll was taken.

Platner, 41, told those gathered at Great Salt Bay School in Damariscotta that if elected, he will focus on healthcare for all and housing. 

During the question-and-answer section, a woman who identified herself as transgender said she wanted to campaign for Platner but that she is afraid for her safety. 

“If I stand with you, will you fight with me?” she asked. “Will you stand up for me?”

Platner said he has “no patience” for people who don’t stand up for progressive wins on LGBTQ rights.

“I firmly believe that every single American has the right to live the life they want to live in their own body as they see fit,” he said. “No one else has the right to tell a person who they are.”

Mills, 77, is a two-term governor, former attorney general and former district attorney. She launched her campaign Oct. 14, emphasizing her history of standing up to bullies and challenging decisions made by Collins over the last several years. 

Mills has the backing of Washington DC leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York. Just days after she officially entered the race, CNN broke the first story about Platner’s history of making offensive comments on social media.

Stories in Politico, The Washington Post and The Advocate soon followed, revealing posts in which he described himself as a “communist” and suggested that political violence is sometimes necessary to achieve social change.

Late last week, The Advocate reported that between 2016 and 2021, Platner made comments that included homophobic slurs and anti-LGBTQ jokes. Platner called the comments “indefensible,” according to the publication.

Mills and Platner are the two most prominent candidates running for the Democratic nomination, but they aren’t the only ones. Former congressional staffer Jordan Wood and former state and federal government official David Costello are both in the running. 

Two others who originally announced a campaign — Dan Kleban and Daira Smith-Rodriguez — dropped out after Mills entered the race. Both endorsed Mills.

After the event on Monday, Lynn Cole of Edgecomb said she believes Platner is genuine. Although the June primary is several months away, at this point, she aligns most closely with Platner.

She said she was glad he talked about the social media posts on Monday.

“It certainly was very disturbing, some of the things I heard about,” she said. “I was happy to hear him address that. He was a really young man and he’s still a very young man. I think it’s what this country needs, people who are going to look at the big picture and who are going to create new ways of doing things.”