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Bernie Sanders on Tuesday defended Graham Platner, a Maine oysterman running against Republican Susan Collins in the state’s key Senate race, who is under fire amid allegations of racist social media posts.
“With all due respect, OK, what am I worried about? 50,000 Americans could die unnecessarily,” the Vermont senator said. Independent When he was asked about some of Plattner’s old Reddit posts, which have been accused of racism.
Democrats are now reeling after Seiple, the progressive rebel vying for the party’s nomination to challenge the five-term senator, came under fire for a series of inflammatory posts on Reddit and a tattoo that bears a striking resemblance to Nazi ink.
Pressed further about Plattner’s comments about sexual harassment, Sanders responded defensively, “Have you completed four rounds of duty?”
Sanders, a socialist independent who is aligned with the Democrats, has endorsed Plattner — and he has campaigned for her in Maine.
Last week, CNN informed Plattner, a Maine oysterman who served in the Marine Corps, had a Reddit account where he said, “I grew old and became a communist” and that “all” police officers are “bastards.”
Washington Post will report later Plattner also posted on Reddit about why black people don’t tip and asked why women “don’t take some responsibility for themselves and get so upset that they end up having sex with someone they don’t want to be with?”
Plattner later apologized for the posts and said they were a result of feeling isolated after returning home from military service.
He became even more of a target as a guest Pod Save AmericaLiberal podcast hosted by former Obama administration staffers. He would proceed to show a video of himself singing at a wedding in his underwear, revealing that he had a tattoo on his chest that resembled that. skullMeaning “death’s head”, a skull and crossbones-like symbol popular in Nazi Germany.
Plattner has denied having a Nazi tattoo and said he got it while drunk with fellow Marines in Croatia.
He told host Tommy Vietor, “We took a terrible skull and crossbones off the wall because we were Marines.” He said he would continue to get security clearance. Plattner said he eventually learned that Tattoo had become involved in opposition research.
Plattner said, “And I can honestly say that if I was trying to hide it, I wouldn’t be doing a very good job for the last 18 years.”
Much of the excitement surrounding Plattner has died down in recent weeks since he announced his candidacy to challenge Collins. Until then, Some Democrats had stepped forward to run against Maine’s senior senator.Who is the only Republican representing a state won by Kamala Harris.
Plattner’s campaign has raised more than $3 million since the announcement in August. He immediately drew comparisons to Zohran Mamdani’s campaign for mayor of New York City and Senator John Fetterman’s 2022 campaign in Pennsylvania. He also shares many of the advisors he used.
Meanwhile, Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who has praised Plattner’s campaign on X, said he had not seen the news about Plattner.
“I know a lot of people say they haven’t seen it and they don’t really mean it,” Murphy said. Independent“I know he said some things on Reddit. I haven’t read it.”
Plattner’s various controversies represent a conundrum for Democrats: Many of their voters are dissatisfied with party leadership and want candidates who challenge the status quo. But many young Democratic candidates Plattner’s age grew up in a time when they also documented much of their adult lives online.
Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) won his race last year and is also a Marine Corps veteran who, like Plattner, has spoken about living with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq.
When? Independent When asked about the tattoo, Gallego said he had not seen it, but noted Plattner’s previous statements that if people opt out of their disturbing behavior, they should be given grace.
“If that’s the case we have to evaluate it, I think it’s a valid conversation,” Gallego said. Independent“But, you know, everyone has the right to essentially step up and call out their own stupidity. And I think voters should take the opportunity to evaluate that.”
At the same time, Maine’s popular executive, Governor Janet Mills, a more establishment-friendly candidate, also jumped into the primary last week.
During the Senate Democratic leadership’s weekly press conference, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer supported Mills when asked about Plattner’s comments.
“We think Janet Mills is the best candidate to replace Suzanne Collins,” he said. “She is a two-term tried governor and the people of Maine have great affection and respect for her.”
But Some told how at 77Mills appeared to confirm the Democratic Party’s aging problem that has drawn criticism during the 2024 election.
Collins, who has voted for most of Trump’s candidates but who voted against Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill”, has not yet announced whether she will run for re-election.