Bay State Sen. Ed Markey has officially endorsed controversial Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner following the oyster farmer’s victory in his state’s primary election Tuesday, as prominent Massachusetts politicians throw their support behind the Democratic challenger to GOP U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

Markey’s support is matched by that of Sen. Elizabeth Warren — one of Platner’s most enthusiastic supporters — as well as Gov. Maura Healey, who last week publicly backed Platner in a general election matchup against Collins in November.

“We need more leaders in Washington who will stand up to corporate power, fight for working families, and take bold action on the climate crisis,” Markey posted to X Tuesday night in reaction to the news of Platner’s primary win. “That’s what Graham Platner is fighting for in Maine. And that’s how he will help Democrats take back our Senate majority.”

But Markey’s endorsement comes after he has tried to remain silent on the race in Maine up until as recently as last week, when, in an appearance on CNN, he notably dodged endorsing Platner. Markey instead complimented his platform and his opposition to President Donald Trump and his policies when pressed a CNN host.

“In my opinion, he has taken the issues and he’s galvanized a grassroots movement all across Maine. People are responding at the town meetings, they are up, they’re energized, and in my opinion, he is on a pathway to victory in the state of Maine,” Markey said in the interview.

Warren also chimed in following Platner’s victory, sending a congratulatory message to the Democrat in a post on X Tuesday night.

Markey’s potential Republican opponent in the general election, John Deaton, is slamming the incumbent senator for endorsing Platner, calling out what he says is Markey’s hypocrisy in labeling President Trump and Republicans “Nazi’s” for years while supporting a candidate who recently covered up a tattoo of a Nazi symbol.

“I think it just demonstrates the magnitude of the hypocrisy of both of my potential opponents, Seth Moulton and Ed Markey, having now fully endorsed this guy. And it just goes to show you, they’ve made so many Nazi comparisons, comparisons with Trump and his election to the rise of Hitler. They’ve called ICE Gestapo and Nazis,” Deaton told the Herald over the phone.

“And then when a real neo-Nazi tattoo-wearing guy who has spent years online making racist and homophobic comments and blamed rape victims and has spent the last decade on an app called a ‘Predators Paradise,’ this shows that all they care about is their partisan politics,” he continued. “If you wear a Democrat jersey you can be a Nazi and you can be racist and you can be a homophobe, but if you wear the other jersey as a Republican, then you’re evil. I’m hoping voters pay attention to this and see that this is probably the greatest example of partisan hypocrisy ever seen.”

While Moulton has not officially offered an endorsement of Platner, he has publicly expressed support for his platform while also underscoring what he says is the need to defeat Collins in November.

“We just don’t know what more can come out. But I do know this, that he’s running against a senator who every single day rubber stamps Trump’s agenda,” Moulton said in his own CNN appearance on Thursday when asked if Platner should end his campaign if more scandals are revealed. “So, all of these things that Susan Collins does every single day are bad. And I think voters in Maine are going to have to make a decision that only they can make, weighing those two alternatives.”

Markey’s endorsement of Platner comes as Healey has also publicly backed the scandal-plagued candidate. Last week, the governor expressed her support for Platner in a November general election matchup against Collins during an appearance on GBH radio, doubling down when asked just hours later by the Herald.

“The person I endorsed in the race was my colleague, Gov. Janet Mills. We also served together as attorney general. She is on the ballot. What I’ve said, too, is come November, we need to do everything we can to defeat Susan Collins, who is the reason that we have the Dobbs decision, the reason that Roe v. Wade was overturned,” Healey told the Herald.

Mills suspended her campaign in April and is now officially out of the race with Platner’s victory. The Herald has requested comment from Healey’s re-election campaign.

The Massachusetts Republican Party is slamming both Markey and Healey for backing Platner.

“By embracing Nazi tattoo enthusiast Graham Platner, Ed Markey and Maura Healey have exposed the hollowness of their own rhetoric. Today’s Democrats profess to oppose hate and extremism, and should be condemning Platner, not lending him their support,” MassGOP Executive Director Haley Jones said in a written statement. “For Healey and Markey, outrage is selective, principles are negotiable, and party politics have been elevated above what’s right for Massachusetts and America’s future.”

It also comes as Massachusetts accounts for the fourth-most contributions out of all 50 states sent to the Platner campaign, with the Somerville-based Democratic Party PAC and fundraising platform sending Platner a whopping $3.6 million in individual earmarked contributions to date.

In addition, Platner’s campaign was present at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention in May to solicit volunteers and donations while even sharing table space with Markey’s team.

The most recent polling on a Platner vs. Collins matchup, conducted by UMass Lowell and released on May 27, gives Platner a slight 5-point lead over Collins with 48% of respondents supporting him to 43% for Collins, and 8% either undecided or supporting another candidate. That poll also found that 43% of respondents have a favorable view of Platner, with 41% viewing him unfavorably and 14% with no opinion on him. Collins finished with a 36% favorable rating.

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