The Democrat Graham Platner says he is not a "secret Nazi" and was not aware of the associations of the skull-and-crossbones tattoo on his chest.
Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate for the US Senate in Maine, said on Wednesday that a tattoo on his chest has been covered to no longer reflect an image widely recognised as a Nazi symbol.
Platner said he got the skull and crossbones tattoo in 2007 when he was in his 20s and in the Marine Corps.
It happened during a night of drinking while he was on leave in Croatia, he said, adding he was unaware until recently that the image has been associated with Nazi police.
Platner, in an interview with the Associated Press (AP), said that while his campaign initially said he would remove the tattoo, he chose to cover it up with another tattoo due to the limited options where he lives in rural Maine.
"Going to a tattoo removal place is going to take a while," he said. "I wanted this thing off my body."
Platner added that he had never been questioned about the tattoo's connections to Nazi symbols in the 20 years he had it.
He said it was there when he enlisted in the Army, which requires an examination for tattoos of hate symbols.
"I also passed a full background check to receive a security clearance to join the Ambassador to Afghanistan's security detail," Platner said.
Questions about the tattoo come after the recent discovery of Platner's now-deleted online statements that included dismissing military sexual assaults, questioning Black patrons’ gratuity habits and criticising police officers and rural Americans.
Platner has apologised for those comments, saying they were made after he left the Army in 2012, when he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.
The oyster farmer and first-time political candidate is mounting a progressive campaign against Republican Susan Collins, who has held the Senate seat for 30 years. The crowded Democratic primary field includes two-term Governor Janet Mills.
Platner has resisted calls to drop out of the race. He has the backing of Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who has described Platner as a stronger candidate for the seat than Mills.
Platner planned a town hall Wednesday in Ogunquit.