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Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner tried to inject himself into mounting frustration surrounding the Boston Red Sox and was instead shut down by Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who accused Platner of being a Nazi over a controversial tattoo and rejected efforts to promote the campaign\u2019s anti-private-equity message.<\/span><\/p>\n The controversy erupted after Platner released a political advertisement attacking Red Sox ownership and the growing role of private equity in American life. The ad aired during a Red Sox broadcast on NESN before reportedly being pulled during the fourth inning.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cPrivate equity is taking our homes. It\u2019s taking our hospitals. It\u2019s taking beloved local businesses and stripping them for parts,\u201d Platner <\/span>wrote on X<\/span><\/a> while promoting the ad. \u201cAnd now private equity is running the Red Sox into the ground.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n In a <\/span>follow-up post<\/span><\/a>, Platner claimed the commercial had been removed midgame because the Red Sox owns the network. \u201cYesterday we started running this ad during the Red Sox game,\u201d he wrote. \u201cMidway through the game the ad was taken down by the station.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n But the story escalated after Portnoy <\/span>publicly shared<\/span><\/a> emails from Platner\u2019s political team attempting to secure coverage from Barstool ahead of the ad launch. In the emails, strategist Jeff Coote pitched Platner as a populist candidate willing to confront \u201cbig bad John Henry\u201d and private equity interests tied to the Red Sox organization. One message described the campaign as \u201can example of Graham\u2019s populist streak and talking about s\u2014 people are pissed off about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The ad itself framed Platner as a candidate battling corporate consolidation in sports and broader American life. \u201cPrivate equity is destroying our favorite baseball team, stripping them for parts,\u201d the ad states. \u201cPrivate equity is buying up our homes, our sports, and our lives. I will reverse the private equity curse.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n It closes with a direct appeal to frustrated Red Sox fans: \u201cI approve this message because I miss Mookie Betts.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Portnoy, however, immediately redirected the conversation away from baseball and toward Platner\u2019s earlier controversies surrounding a tattoo linked to Nazi imagery.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cNow this is the Nazi guy right?\u201d Portnoy responded in the email chain. \u201cYeah I\u2019d be happy to talk to him about that tattoo and him being a Nazi. I\u2019m not as interested in his baseball takes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n After Platner\u2019s team attempted to cool the exchange by saying they would consider it \u201cif we can get to a place where this is a productive convo,\u201d Portnoy fired back<\/a> again. <\/span>\u201cYou reached out to a Jew to poo poo a Nazi,\u201d Portnoy wrote. \u201cI\u2019m not Bernie Sanders. If your boy isn\u2019t a Nazi and can handle me 1 on 1 in a convo set it up.\u201d <\/span>Portnoy later posted portions of the exchange publicly on X, adding: \u201cAnd I\u2019m still wondering why your team thought I\u2019d want to play footsy with a guy who is a Nazi?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And I\u2019m still wondering why your team thought I\u2019d want to play footsy with a guy who is a Nazi? https:\/\/t.co\/DxPZp0sZSt<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/LItqRDIDjg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n The confrontation added yet another controversy to a campaign that has already drawn attention for issues far removed from traditional Senate politics.<\/span><\/p>\n Earlier this year, Platner faced backlash over a tattoo on his chest resembling the Nazi \u201cTotenkopf,\u201d or \u201cDeath\u2019s Head,\u201d symbol historically associated with the SS. Platner denied any connection to Nazism during an interview with Pod Save America, saying the tattoo stemmed from a drunken decision while deployed overseas as a Marine.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI am not a secret Nazi,\u201d Platner said at the time, describing himself as a \u201clifelong opponent\u201d of antisemitism and racism. The tattoo controversy was compounded by resurfaced Reddit posts in which Platner described himself as a communist, mocked<\/a> a Purple Heart recipient, and made inflammatory anti-police remarks. Republicans seized on the posts as evidence of what they argued was a radical political worldview.<\/span><\/p>\n Against that backdrop, what began as an attempt to channel populist frustration over billionaire sports ownership instead became another flashpoint in the broader debate surrounding Platner\u2019s candidacy, political identity, and increasingly controversial public image.<\/span><\/p>\n\n