On Sunday, Ken Martin, Chair of the Democratic National Committee, addressed the controversial past remarks of Maine Senate contender Graham Platner, asserting that they do not render him unfit for the position.

“While these comments are undoubtedly wrong, they don’t cross the line into disqualification. I’m relieved he has expressed regret for them. They are indefensible, hurtful, and offensive,” Martin remarked to Dana Bash during CNN’s “State of the Union.”

Platner, who is both a military veteran and an oyster farmer, is campaigning on a progressive platform in Maine. His past Reddit posts, which CNN’s KFILE uncovered, included derogatory language, a self-identification as a “communist,” derogatory statements about law enforcement, and broad negative characterizations of rural White Americans.

In 2013, Platner also made dismissive comments about the challenges service members face in reporting sexual assaults, suggesting victims should avoid getting excessively intoxicated to prevent unintended sexual encounters, a sentiment reported by The Washington Post.

On Friday, Platner addressed these past remarks in a video he shared on the platform X, attributing them to the struggles he faced with post-traumatic stress disorder following his deployment to Afghanistan in 2011.

Martin said Sunday that he believes “in second chances” and that “a lot of people say things at their most vulnerable times.”

“The question for me is whether or not they actually learn from them, whether or not they actually reflect on those, that they’re sincere in their apology and more importantly that they have changed their behavior,” the first-year DNC chair added.

Platner, 41, is running in the Democratic primary ahead of the 2026 Senate election in Maine, in which Republican Susan Collins, 72, is going for a sixth term in the upper chamber. 

The state’s Democratic governor, 77-year-old Janet Mills, also entered the primary race last week. Mills’s entry sets up a generational and ideological battle between herself and Platner, just as Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton (Mass.) cited age concerns in challenging progressive Sen. Ed Markey (Mass.).

Martin, though, said that the DNC will not “put the thumb on the scale for anyone,” despite the public’s concerns over candidates’ ages.

“It’s up to the primary voters in all these states to decide who they think will be the best candidate to represent us as we take on Republicans in each of those states,” Martin added. “My job as a DNC chair is to build the infrastructure we need to win.”