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.»

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.

Estados Unidos mantiene conversaciones confidenciales sobre la posibilidad de ampliar el despliegue de capacidades nucleares en Europa mediante la incorporación de nuevos países al esquema de reparto nuclear de la OTAN, una iniciativa que busca tranquilizar a los aliados europeos en medio de la preocupación por la reducción de la presencia militar convencional estadounidense en el continente.

Según informó el Financial Times, funcionarios estadounidenses manifestaron su disposición a estudiar despliegues adicionales más allá de los seis países que actualmente participan en el programa. Las discusiones continúan en canales internos de la alianza atlántica y, de acuerdo con personas familiarizadas con el asunto, todavía no existe una decisión definitiva ni un acuerdo inminente para modificar los actuales arreglos de seguridad.

La iniciativa permitiría que más países albergaran los llamados aviones de doble capacidad, conocidos por sus siglas en inglés como DCA, plataformas capaces de transportar y lanzar armamento nuclear estadounidense bajo determinadas circunstancias. De acuerdo con las fuentes consultadas, el objetivo principal de las conversaciones es demostrar que el compromiso nuclear de Washington con Europa permanece intacto, incluso cuando los aliados asumen una mayor responsabilidad en materia de defensa convencional.

Las conversaciones se desarrollan en un contexto marcado por la inquietud de varios gobiernos europeos ante las decisiones del presidente Donald Trump de retirar tropas estadounidenses y cancelar algunos despliegues previstos de sistemas de armas considerados esenciales para la defensa del continente. Estas medidas forman parte de una estrategia orientada a redistribuir recursos militares hacia Asia y otras regiones consideradas prioritarias por Washington.

Diversos aliados de la OTAN temen que la reducción de la presencia convencional estadounidense genere vulnerabilidades en la capacidad defensiva europea y debilite el poder de disuasión frente a potenciales amenazas externas. Sin embargo, las fuentes señalaron que la disposición a debatir una ampliación del programa nuclear pretende transmitir una señal de continuidad respecto de las garantías estratégicas de Estados Unidos.

Entre los países que han mostrado interés figuran varios miembros situados en el flanco oriental de la OTAN, especialmente Polonia y algunos Estados bálticos. Estas naciones consideran que la proximidad geográfica con Rusia incrementa la necesidad de reforzar los mecanismos de disuasión de la alianza.

Polonia ha sido uno de los países más activos en este debate. El ex presidente Andrzej Duda expresó públicamente su deseo de que Estados Unidos extendiera a territorio polaco el sistema de despliegue nuclear compartido. Además, Varsovia se incorporó este año a una iniciativa impulsada por Francia para analizar la posibilidad de trasladar temporalmente componentes de su arsenal nuclear a países aliados europeos.

Según una de las personas familiarizadas con las conversaciones citadas por el Financial Times, los aliados más cercanos a las fronteras rusas son los que han demostrado un mayor interés en participar en el programa. La invasión rusa de Ucrania y las reiteradas referencias del presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, al arsenal nuclear de su país reforzaron las preocupaciones de seguridad de varios miembros de la alianza.

Actualmente, el programa de reparto nuclear de la OTAN involucra a Bélgica, Alemania, Italia, los Países Bajos, Turquía y el Reino Unido. En esos países se almacenan armas nucleares estadounidenses bajo custodia de tropas de Estados Unidos. Aunque permanecen desplegadas en territorio aliado, Washington conserva el control exclusivo sobre cualquier autorización para su utilización.

El mecanismo fue desarrollado durante la Guerra Fría y continúa siendo uno de los pilares de la estrategia de disuasión de la OTAN. Según la propia alianza, el acuerdo “proporciona una plataforma a los aliados no nucleares de la OTAN para dar forma a la política y la planificación nuclear de la Alianza como medio para garantizar su seguridad sin adquirir armas nucleares”.

Dentro de este esquema, fuerzas aéreas de países aliados reciben entrenamiento para operar aeronaves compatibles con misiones nucleares, entre ellas los F-35, F-15 y Tornado. Estas unidades participan regularmente en ejercicios destinados a demostrar la capacidad operativa y la preparación de la alianza.

Mientras los gobiernos europeos incrementan sus presupuestos de defensa y aceleran inversiones en capacidades militares convencionales, numerosos aliados consideran que el paraguas nuclear estadounidense continúa siendo un elemento esencial para la seguridad colectiva.

El secretario general de la OTAN, Mark Rutte, subrayó esa postura tras una reunión de ministros de Asuntos Exteriores de la alianza celebrada el mes pasado. Rutte afirmó que existe un «entendimiento común de que, si bien Estados Unidos se centrará más en otros escenarios… la disuasión y la defensa generales en Europa deben mantenerse sin cambios“.

El dirigente también envió una advertencia sobre la capacidad de respuesta de la organización ante cualquier agresión. «Quiero ser muy claro… Si alguien tuviera la insensatez de atacarnos, la respuesta sería devastadora“, sostuvo.