Scandal after scandal is not enough to dissuade Maine Senate Democratic candidate Graham Platner’s most vocal supporter in the upper chamber. 

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is not backing away from Platner despite the seemingly ever-growing baggage attached to the insurgent Democratic candidate. 

The once long-shot candidate has had several fiascos break out in recent weeks following the revelation last fall that he had a tattoo of iconography linked to Nazis. Sanders argued that it was Platner’s firm stance against billionaires that was dredging up the skeletons in his closet. 

DEMOCRATS BREAK WITH SCANDAL-PLAGUED GRAHAM PLATNER, WARN OF ‘CIVIL WAR’ IN PARTY

«What we’re looking at right now is a situation where billionaires have already pledged to spend $90 million in a tiny state like Maine,» Sanders said. «Trust me, that is a lot of money. They don’t want him in.»

«And the reason that they do not want him in the Senate is he has had the guts to stand up to the big money interests, to fight for healthcare as a human right, to demand the billionaires start paying their fair share of taxes,» he continued. 

Platner’s public relations woes began when video surfaced of him sporting a totenkopf, or death’s head tattoo, on his chest — a symbol of the Nazi war machine from World War II.

MAINE DEM SENATE HOPEFUL BACKED BY BERNIE SANDERS APOLOGIZES FOR NAZI-STYLE TATTOO, VOWS TO STAY IN RACE

The dam has broken in recent weeks, with old Reddit posts resurfacing in which Platner waxes on veterans, sexual assault and other topics. He’s also embroiled in a sexting scandal and was most recently found to have a profile on the controversial Kik platform.

But for Sanders, and other backers of Platner’s in the Senate, the goal is beating Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.

«I think what we, as a nation, need to do is to focus on the important issues facing working families, 60% of whom are living paycheck to paycheck,» Sanders said. «And I think that Graham and his wife, Amy, will work on their marriage, and I wish them the best.» 

PLATNER STILL HAS ACTIVE ACCOUNT ON ANONYMOUS APP DUBBED ‘PREDATOR’S PARADISE’ AMID CHEATING SCANDAL

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, holds a blanket as she walks off the Senate floor after the chamber stayed in session throughout the night at the U.S. Capitol Building on July 1, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Platner was recently elevated to be the likely nominee in Maine after Gov. Janet Mills, who was the first pick for Democratic leadership in Washington, D.C., opted to drop out over financial issues with her campaign.

Now he’s likely headed to a fierce battle against longtime incumbent Collins in November. When asked about the latest issues plaguing Platner, Collins said there wasn’t much else to say. 

«I don’t have anything to add,» Collins said. «Every day there’s a new revelation about Graham Platner that reflects on his character.»

Still, Democrats who are backing the scandal-plagued Platner aren’t quick to drop him as their favored choice in Maine.

Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who endorsed Platner early on, said that the candidate has lived a «very, you know, real experience. He’s talked about it.» 

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«He’s talked to his wife about it. There was, you know, the voters of Maine are gonna decide what they’re gonna do, but, you know, we know that at this point, this man can still win the race, and as long as he continues, I think we’ll all be there,» Gallego said. 

Platner is set to meet with Democrats in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. Sanders said he would be there.

But the choice to continue backing him, despite the several scandals piling up, has Republicans both scratching their heads and salivating at the chance to take on a candidate bogged down by baggage. 

«I mean, this guy’s a nut job,» Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said.
»So, that’s their call. But, you know, I won’t hold my breath for the Democrats to sort of course correct on this. They’re just — it’s just about absolute power for them. 
So they want to support a dude with Nazi tattoos who has all this other stuff going on. I mean, that’s on them.»

¿Es posible defender la felicidad cuando el mundo alrededor se desmorona? En 1759, una novela corta y demoledora sacudió los cimientos intelectuales de Europa. Llevaba por título Cándido, o el optimismo. Su autor, el siempre mordaz François-Marie Arouet —universalmente conocido como Voltaire—, decidió volcar en esas páginas toda su rabia, su ingenio y su desprecio por las filosofías bienpensantes que pretendían justificar el sufrimiento humano. Voltaire no estaba dispuesto a seguir con la farsa.

En el capítulo 19 de esa sátira implacable, el protagonista se topa en Surinam con un esclavo mutilado por sus amos azucareros. Ante el horror descarnado de la explotación, el joven Cándido, que había sido educado bajo la doctrina de que vivía en el mejor de los mundos posibles, se quiebra. Cuando su compañero le pregunta qué es realmente ese optimismo que tanto defiende, el muchacho responde con lágrimas en los ojos: “El optimismo es la locura de insistir en que todo está bien cuando somos miserables”.

La frase, lejos de ser un recurso literario, funciona como manifiesto. Es una declaración de guerra intelectual. Para entender esa ferocidad hay que reconstruir el mapa mental del siglo XVIII. La intelectualidad de la época estaba fascinada con las teorías del filósofo alemán Gottfried Leibniz. Él había postulado el “optimismo metafísico”: la idea de que, siendo Dios perfecto, el mundo actual era, matemáticamente, el mejor que se podía haber creado. El mal, bajo esta mirada, era solo una ilusión óptica.

Para Voltaire, esta postura no era un consuelo; era una crueldad intolerable. Decirle a una madre que la muerte de su hijo o la miseria de su pueblo formaban parte de un “plan perfecto” equivalía a una bofetada racionalizada. El quiebre definitivo del pensador ocurrió el 1 de noviembre de 1755: un brutal terremoto seguido de un tsunami y un incendio devastó Lisboa, dejando decenas de miles de muertos en pleno día de Todos los Santos. La tragedia desarmó cualquier intento de justificación teológica.

Voltaire reaccionó primero con su Poema sobre el desastre de Lisboa, pero el golpe de gracia lo daría cuatro años más tarde con la publicación de Cándido, o el optimismo, una de las obras más importantes de la historia de la literatura y de la filosofía occidental. Su relevancia radica en que logró bajar la alta discusión filosófica a las masas a través de la ironía, el absurdo y la novela de aventuras. A través del personaje del maestro Pangloss construye una parodia directa e hilarante de Leibniz.

En esa obra Voltaire ridiculiza a los intelectuales que prefieren forzar la realidad para que encaje en sus teorías abstractas, en lugar de mirar lo que verdaderamente pasa en las calles. La novela es un viaje de desilusión. Cándido recorre el mundo sufriendo pestes, guerras, inquisiciones y naufragios, intentando sostener una teoría que se cae a pedazos a cada paso. La trampa del optimismo leibniziano, argumentaba el filósofo, es que genera pasividad. Si el mundo ya es perfecto, ¿para qué intentar cambiarlo?

¿Para qué combatir la injusticia, la censura o la tiranía? Aceptar que somos “miserables” y que las cosas están mal es, para Voltaire, el primer paso para transformar la realidad. Su pesimismo literario era, paradójicamente, un optimismo político: el mundo es un desastre, sí, pero podemos mejorarlo con la razón y el esfuerzo humano. Hacia el final de Cándido, o el optimismo, los personajes abandonan las discusiones metafísicas y van a una pequeña granja. “Hay que cultivar nuestro jardín”, cierra el libro.

En tiempos de gurúes de la felicidad obligatoria y de discursos que exigen sonreír ante la crisis, la advertencia que Voltaire lanzó hace más de 250 años sigue siendo un faro de lucidez: la verdadera inteligencia no consiste en negar la miseria, sino en tener el coraje de mirarla de frente para poder destruirla. Esa la respuesta práctica de Voltaire a la “locura” del capítulo 19. Dejemos de justificar el dolor universal con discursos grandilocuentes y dediquémonos a hacer lo que esté a nuestro alcance, aquí y ahora.

François-Marie Arouet, conocido mundialmente por su seudónimo Voltaire, nació en París en 1694 y se convirtió en la figura más brillante y ácida de la Ilustración francesa. De origen burgués, su precoz ingenio para la sátira política y la crítica religiosa lo llevó a ser encarcelado en la Bastilla y, posteriormente, exiliado a Inglaterra, un destino crucial donde adoptó las ideas científicas de Isaac Newton y el liberalismo filosófico de John Locke. Se destacó como filósofo, historiador y dramaturgo.

Desafió al absolutismo y al fanatismo de la Iglesia Católica a través de una inmensa producción literaria que incluye tragedias teatrales como Edipo, ensayos históricos como El siglo de Luis XIV y su célebre Diccionario filosófico. Pero más allá de sus escritos, Voltaire fue un hombre de acción que utilizó su enorme fama y fortuna para defender públicamente a las víctimas de la intolerancia estatal y judicial, consolidándose como uno de los primeros intelectuales activistas de la historia.

Pasó gran parte de sus últimos años en Ferney, escapando de la persecución de las autoridades francesas, aunque regresó triunfalmente a París en 1778, donde murió a los 83 años. Debido a sus feroces críticas contra las instituciones eclesiásticas, se le negó un entierro cristiano tradicional; sin embargo, tras el estallido de la Revolución Francesa —proceso sobre el cual sus ideas ejercieron una influencia fundacional—, sus restos fueron trasladados con honores máximos al Panteón de París en 1791.

SANTA MONICA, CA — A business leader and former city council candidate is reacting to Spencer Pratt’s surge in the Los Angeles mayoral race by pointing to crime, the recent wildfires, and the inhospitable business climate as the reason why voters are discontent with the status quo. 

«I think a lot of people are concerned about what’s happening, they really don’t know how to fix this, and I think the crime, the homelessness, the addiction, all the above behaviors of what’s happened in our city as politicians that are causing this, I think a lot people are seeing that,» John Putnam, the president of Putnam Brands & Putnam Accessory Group, told Fox News Digital.

«And I think Spencer’s actually bringing the light in a real way. He’s pretty basic with his delivery of his issues and I think that’s resonating a lot. Even if you don’t want to vote for him, you’re listening, though and I think that’s resonating with a lot of people.»

Putnam, a former candidate for Santa Monica City Council in 2024, told Fox News Digital that even though his town of Santa Monica doesn’t vote for LA mayor, the winner’s platform will have a «trickle down» effect all across the county.

SPENCER PRATT ENTERS LA MAYOR RACE, ACCUSES CURRENT LEADERSHIP OF ‘CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE’ OVER FIRE RESPONSE

«California’s got a big issue, but the city, especially where we live, Santa Monica is a byproduct of what’s happened in Los Angeles and across the world,» Putnam said. «In Santa Monica alone, we’re a people driven economy. 80% of our revenue comes from outside this city. We need revenue being generated from people that are coming here to visit.»

Putnam’s company, which he has run for 40 years, is based near downtown Los Angeles and he told Fox News Digital that it’s clear when you drive around the city that the business climate is being significantly handcuffed by crime, homelessness, high taxes, and other factors. 

«It costs so much to operate a business here,» Putnam said. «Out of 250 cities that were surveyed a few years ago, Santa Monica came in number one of being the most expensive place to do business and that’s because of all the regulation, all the other aspects.

RESIDENTS IN EXCLUSIVE ENCLAVE DEMAND DEM MAYOR ACT ON CRIME SURGE

Television personality and Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt visited «Fox & Friends» at Fox News Channel Studios on Jan. 28, 2026, in New York City. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)

«But on top of that, if you can’t create an inviting environment and a safe environment and a clean environment, there’s no hope. I mean, the bottom line, there is zero hope in that arrangement. So we have to do something quickly and the pain is there. We just as voters, hopefully will determine what we have to do to change that.»

Crime has been a highly talked-about issue in the mayoral race between Pratt, incumbent Mayor Karen Bass, and progressive Councilwoman Nithya Raman. Putnam says that over the past few years, crime has gotten worse overall, despite statistics that say specific violent crimes are down. 

«There’s all sorts of stats, it’s worse, everyone’s trying to sugar coat it in different ways, but the stats are out there, they’re saying crime is down, I think violent crime is down across the country, but all this petty stuff is happening,» Putnam said.

SPENCER PRATT ANNOUNCES LA MAYOR RUN ON ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF PALISADES FIRE THAT DESTROYED HIS HOME

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass toured the downtown business district of Pacific Palisades on Jan. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles as the Palisades Fire continued to burn amid strong Santa Ana winds. (Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

 «It’s come in all neighborhoods. I mean you know it’s down in the south side of Los Angeles, east. It’s everywhere. You know even here in Santa Monica, we’re definitely being victims of this behavior of crime, and the drug addiction that’s running rampant in our city that’s causing this kind of criminal activity doesn’t really satisfy anyone. It doesn’t protect us. It doesn’t make us feel safe and it doesn’t help our community just to grow.»

Roughly a year and a half ago, the Los Angeles area was devastated by wildfires in Altadena and the Pacific Palisades that killed 31 people. The Palisades fire crept within a few miles of Putnam’s home in Santa Monica and destroyed more than 6,000 structures, including Pratt’s home.

Putnam told Fox News Digital that the fires, and criticism of Bass’s preparedness and response, is «definitely a point of every conversation» with Los Angeles residents as only a handful of homes have been rebuilt. 

«People are feeling left out, they’re not feeling like they’re being helped,» Putnam said. «I mean, their whole town, Altadena and Palisades were just destroyed. Beyond that, you had nail salons, you have all these hair salons, you had restaurants, these people are homeless from their businesses, their income and they aren’t getting the love and the attention they deserve, we need to come together and help those people.»

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LA council member Nithya Raman is also running against Republican Spencer Pratt for governor of Los Angeles. (Eric Thayer / Getty Images)

«That’s what’s frustrating. I think people are angry, but also just really concerned. And I think this is really, Spencer’s really done a good job of bringing that out and letting people know this is not acceptable and we have a choice here.»

Pratt will face off in the mayoral primary on Tuesday night against Bass and progressive city council member Nithya Raman in an election where the top two candidates will move on to the November general election; however, if a candidate receives 50% of the vote, they become the next mayor outright.