Augusta, Maine - Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner publicly apologized for his use of a slur during a recent interview about controversies surrounding a Nazi-inspired tattoo.

Platner has been called out by advocates for a Maine-based disability rights group, who on Tuesday condemned remarks published by the Maine Monitor on Saturday.

Platner was recalling to his initial reaction to accusations that he had gotten a tattoo with white supremacist overtones.

"I was like, 'Well, that's the f***ing most r*****ed s*** I've ever heard in my life," he told reporter Josh Keefe.

"No, I don't have a white supremacist tattoo," Platner told his team at the time. "I never thought about it again. And then it came up later on, and I was like, 'God f***ing damn it.'"

The scandal surfaced late in 2025 when a skull and crossbones tattoo Platner had gotten during his time in the military was revealed. The Democratic candidate has since removed the artwork and said that he didn't know it was a Nazi symbol.

"I personally am offended with him using this language," Disability Rights Maine board member Roseanna Belanger told the Press Herald in response to the interview. "I am appalled to hear someone use the R-word in any case and anyway possible."

The Press Herald story has been seized upon by Platner's Democratic primary opponent Janet Mills, who has wielded the controversy as a political weapon.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I said it," Platner said after being asked about the controversy by a reporter. "I am endeavoring to improve every single day. I am not a perfect person, and I continue to try to be better."

"I will say that my politics is one of inclusivity and one of showing up for everybody. And I will continue to represent that in our policies and in our campaign."