Maine Democrat running to unseat Susan Collins to stay in race after discovery of Reddit postings

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Old online comments made by a U.S. Senate candidate in Maine in which the candidate appeared to endorse political violence, dismiss rape in the military and criticize both police officers and rural America were wrong but not disqualifying from office, the national chair of the Democratic Party said.

Graham Platner is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Maine that has been held by Republican Susan Collins since 1997. He faces a crowded field for the nomination that also includes Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who announced her candidacy last week.

CNN first reported last week on old Reddit posts made by Platner that he had deleted since entering the Senate race, and several media outlets followed, revealing separate controversial posts. The posts were made between 2013 to 2021. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said Sunday during an appearance on CNN that he does not think the posts were “disqualifying” but did say they were “not right” and “offensive" and he was glad Platner apologized for them.

“I don’t think they’re disqualifying, but certainly they’re not right,” said Martin, speaking on CNN’s State of the Union. “And I’m glad that he apologized for them. They’re indefensible, they’re hurtful, and they’re offensive.”

Platner has apologized for the comments in a video he posted Friday on social media. He said the posts were made after leaving the Army in 2012, adding he “still had the crude humor, the dark, dark feelings, the offensive language that really was a hallmark of the infantry when I was in it.” He also said that he was struggling then with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

“I’m sorry for this. Just know that it’s not reflective at all of who I am. I don’t want you to judge me on the dumbest thing I ever wrote on the internet. I would prefer if people could judge me on the person I am today,” Platner said.

In the days since his apology, Platner has posted more of his old Reddit posts, highlighting that he spent a lot of time online encouraging other veterans to get help. He also released additional Reddit posts showing him criticizing homophobia and misogyny in the military. One post he shared Monday stated that he was disillusioned by “rampant misogyny and weirdness” in the Marines, which he also served in.

Platner is an oyster farmer making his first attempt at public office who is running a progressive campaign with an aggressive social media presence. He has the backing of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has described Platner as a stronger candidate for the seat than Mills.

The Mills campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

The Collins campaign said in a statement Friday that Platner's old posts “disparaged everyone from people living in rural areas, to the police" and the disabled. The campaign also said in the statement that the controversy over the posts illustrated rifts between the Democratic Party's different factions.

But some Democratic leaders in the state said they are continuing to support Platner after the posts came to light.

“I think it’s about Graham’s authenticity and that’s what is going to come through,” said Karen Heck, former mayor of Waterville.

Meanwhile, Platner’s political director resigned in response to the news of the old Reddit posts.

“While I am empathetic to Graham’s experiences and respect his personal journey and growth, I cannot overlook the volume and nature of his past comments, many of which were made as an adult, not as a young man,” wrote Genevieve L. McDonald, who had been working for the campaign for several months. “These statements were not known to me when I agreed to join the campaign, and they are not words or values I can stand behind in a candidate for the United States Senate.”

Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

Senate candidate Graham Platner acknowledges the large crowd that attended Platner's town hall, Sept. 25, 2025, at Bunker Brewing in Portland, Maine. (Daryn Slover/Portland Press Herald via AP)

Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at a town hall at the Franco Center in Lewiston on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025. (Libby Kenny/Sun Journal via AP)

LEXINGTON, S.C. (AP) — A South Carolina man accused of burying his 11-month-old son in a dog crate in a clump of scrubby pines was denied bond Thursday.

Michael Comer, 25, has been charged with attempted murder, burglary and unlawfully placing a child at risk in connection with the disappearance and rescue of Koah Sharp, who survived and is expected to make a full recovery.

Tyler Douglas, lead investigator for the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department, told Magistrate Gary W. Reinhart on Thursday morning that Comer showed no remorse for attempting to kill his son and tried to flee the state. Reinhart subsequently approved a public defender for Comer and set a hearing for Dec. 10.

Comer has been in custody in Lexington County since Monday, when his son was reported missing. An attorney has not yet been appointed for him.

Koah, who rescuers found after about 24 hours, was released from a hospital Tuesday night, Sheriff Jay Koon said.

John Comer said he’d opened his home to his son and grandson on Monday after Michael Comer said they needed a place to stay. He showed an Associated Press reporter the small hole on a neighbor's property where rescuers uncovered the child.

“God had to have laid in the ground with Koah for the entire, entirety of that time,” he said after Thursday's bond hearing. “Only God can deliver miracles in this fashion.”

Authorities haven’t revealed anything about Comer’s motive. He was sentenced in October to probation after pleading guilty to domestic violence involving the boy’s mother. Court records show that in May he pushed her from behind while she was holding Koah, causing the baby to hit a clothes dryer.

Koah’s parents “have had some situations,” the sheriff said.

“Children,” he said, “sometimes get caught in the middle.”

Family members have identified the mother as Dezarae Sharp. The AP could not locate a phone number for her, and she has not responded to messages sent to her social media accounts.

In a 911 call released Thursday, Patricia Comer told a dispatcher that her son had “severe schizophrenia and bipolar and depression.” She said she had been “kindly worried” about leaving Koah with his father that morning. “He threatened to kill himself last night and asked me for some sleeping pills,” she told the dispatcher. “He kept making comments that he was going to take (unintelligible) to New York, which he cannot, because he’s on probation.”

But John Comer said his son, from whom he has been largely estranged, seemed perfectly rational when he picked him and Koah up and took them to his home. He said his son told him he had a job and a plan to care for Koah.

“He was not emotional,” John Comer said outside the law enforcement complex Thursday. “He was not excited. He was just, he appeared a loving, a loving and caring father. He fed the baby. He changed the baby’s diaper. He held the baby. The baby played for a while. He was in his right mind.”

Dozens of first responders scoured the countryside for the boy. After a full day of searching, authorities found freshly disturbed soil and heard cries from below, the sheriff said.

Koah likely survived because of cool temperatures and an air pocket created by a towel that was wrapped around the crate below ground, he said.

John Comer said the crate was “just a piece of junk” he had lying around his house. He said he has no “sympathy or pity” for his son, and shudders to think what might have happened had he not picked them up that day.

“Koah’s alive,” he said, choking back a sob. “He’s alive. That’s what matters.”

Breed reported from Wake Forest, North Carolina.

John Comer, the grandfather of 11-month-old Koah Sharp, shows the area where his grandson was found buried alive near his home in Leesville, S.C., Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

Amber Hammond shows a video of her great-nephew, 11-month-old Koah Sharp, on the porch at her home in West Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)

Amber Hammond shows a photo of her great-nephew, 11-month-old Koah Sharp, and her nephew, Michael Comer, at her home in West Columbia, S.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Erik Verduzco)