Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., remarked that he didn’t think Maine candidate Graham Platner’s Nazi-linked tattoo was “disqualifying” in contrast to what his fellow Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss said just days prior.
“Look, Graham [Platner] clearly made a mistake and I’ve been on CNN saying that what I appreciated about him is he owned that mistake,” Moulton said on “CNN News Central” on Wednesday. “He took responsibility for it and I don’t think that that’s disqualifying.”
He continued, “You know what is disqualifying is having a senator in Maine who just does Donald Trump‘s bidding. That‘s not in the interests of the United States of America. That‘s not in the interest of Maine voters. Maine voters will have to make this decision, not politicians from Massachusetts. But I think the single disqualifying person in this race is Susan Collins. And given the energy behind her campaign, it sounds like a lot of Mainers agree with that assessment.”
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Moulton was responding to Auchincloss’ comments made on the same CNN show on Monday where he remarked that he found Platner’s tattoo and past controversial statements to be “personally disqualifying.”
“I find that tattoo and his commentary about it to be personally disqualifying. I hope Maine voters agree with me,” Auchincloss said.
He continued, “I think it would be a mistake for the Democratic Party to think that Graham Platner’s brand of the Democratic Party is what wins us durable majorities throughout this country.”
Fox News Digital reached out to both Moulton and Auchincloss’ offices for comment. Moulton himself has yet to endorse Platner.
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Platner, the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee in the battleground Senate race, has faced months of scrutiny over the controversial chest tattoo that he had for most of his adult life. In addition, he has also come under fire for old Reddit posts in which he made offensive statements towards women and military officers for nearly a decade.
Though Auchincloss was one of the few Democratic lawmakers who have publicly come out against Platner, he later softened his stance in a statement Tuesday, clarifying that he did not support Platner’s presumptive opponent, Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
“Susan Collins is a rubber stamp for the worst admin in history. Claims that I would endorse her, implicitly or otherwise, ignore my track record supporting Democrats to take back both chambers,” Auchincloss wrote on social media Tuesday. “As I said months ago, I find Platner’s Nazi tattoo and his commentary about it personally disqualifying. If it were me, I’d vote for someone else in the Maine Democratic primary.”
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“Regardless of what happens in Maine, Democrats need to take back the Senate, and I’ll keep working hard to make it happen,” he added.
Auchincloss received backlash from both the left and the right regarding this shift.
Fox News’ Adam Pack contributed to this report.
