NEW: Dem Senate Candidate Caught Wishing For Wounded Soldier’s Death

A Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Maine is taking heat after a resurfaced, deleted Reddit post appeared to cheer on the death of a wounded American soldier and mock him for surviving a Taliban firefight.

The post came from the Reddit handle “P-Hustle,” an account Graham Platner has acknowledged was his. In a June 2019 thread, the account weighed in on a viral helmet-cam video from Afghanistan showing Army Pfc. Ted Daniels in a 2012 clash with Taliban fighters. Daniels was shot four times and later received a Purple Heart for his injuries, according to prior reporting.

“This video never gets old,” the account wrote, before launching into a profane tirade about Daniels, calling him a “Dumb motherf—–” and declaring he “didn’t deserve to live.” The post was later deleted, but it appears in the Maine Monitor’s database of Platner’s deleted Reddit history.

Daniels has said in later interviews that he deliberately moved into the open to draw fire away from other men in his unit. While he acknowledged that “tactically” it was “not a sound thing to do,” he added, “I put my a– on the line for other guys.”

Platner, a Marine Corps veteran who served four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, is now facing blowback from a range of critics, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee and veterans who say the post crossed a line.

“We don’t make jokes about our brothers and sisters dying, that’s not something we do, that’s not normal,” said Adam Schwarze, a former Navy SEAL and Marine veteran running for U.S. Senate as a Republican in Minnesota, in comments to Fox News Digital.

Schwarze said some service members privately rib each other about tactics, but argued the public attack on a wounded soldier was different.

“We don’t post about our brothers getting wounded in action,” he said.

NRSC regional press secretary Samantha Cantrell said, “Anyone who makes fun of the American soldiers who gave their lives for freedom and cheers on terrorists has no place serving in the United States Senate.”

This disgusting man should suspend his campaign RIGHT NOW.

Graham Platner, a socialist candidate for Senate in Maine, said a PURPLE HEART recipient doesn’t deserve to live:

“This video never gets old. Dumb motherf***er didn’t deserve to live.” https://t.co/QSxR0ntaXb

— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen) May 21, 2026

Fox News Digital reported it reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment. Platner has previously defended his online history by arguing the posts were trolling and should be read as provocation, not policy or belief.

“You should read the comments in context. It’s very clear I’m joking,” Platner previously told Fox News Digital when asked about other comments. “It’s called s—posting. It’s when you argue with people on the internet and try to bother them. So, yeah, no, it’s very obviously not true.”

Platner has faced scrutiny over other deleted and resurfaced posts in recent months, and Republicans have signaled they plan to keep the spotlight on his online record as the contest tightens.

Platner became the Democrats’ presumptive nominee after former Gov. Janet Mills ended her campaign last month after trailing him in polling and fundraising, according to prior reporting. Backed by progressive stars including Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Platner is aiming to take on five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race expected to draw major national attention.

If Platner wins the June primary, he will face Collins in November in a contest that could influence the balance of power in the U.S. Senate.

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