Graham Platner’s Sexting Texts Put Maine Democratic Senate Bid On Defensive Ahead Of Primary

A controversy over sexually explicit texts involving Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner has put his campaign on the defensive ahead of a Democratic primary in Maine, with the party seeking to flip the seat currently held by longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.

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The Washington Post reported that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, told a senior campaign aide last fall that he had sent sexually explicit texts to several women after they married in 2023, and it said the revelation came in a conversation with Genevieve McDonald ahead of a Labor Day rally in 2025.

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The Washington Post also said Platner’s campaign sought to assess whether the texts posed a risk, and it reported that the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal said Gertner made the revelation to McDonald.

In a video shared Saturday night, Gertner said she found it “really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on.”

On ABC News’ This Week, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said, “Yeah I have concerns. That guy has questions to answer and that’s what campaigns are for,” as he addressed the reports about Platner exchanging sexually explicit texts with multiple women.

MS NOW reported that Booker framed the issue as part of a broader push for Democrats to take control of the Senate, saying, “So much is riding on Democrats taking control of the Senate … It’s time we take back the Senate and that’s what I’m focused on.”

MS NOW

MS NOW also quoted Levar Stoney, the former mayor of Richmond, Virginia, writing on X that he “can’t help but think that if this candidate were a person of color or a woman, my party would be asking them to consider stepping aside immediately.”

In the same coverage, Rhonda Elaine Foxx, a former campaign aide to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, criticized the handling of the matter by writing, “This is horrific,” and adding, “Asking her do this is TRASH.”

MS NOW further reported that Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., told CBS News that Platner has “made mistakes,” while defining the Maine Senate race as “between somebody who has spent his life protecting us versus somebody who seems to be protecting Donald Trump’s corruption.”

The Washington Post said the texting controversy comes a week ahead of the Democratic primary in Maine, where the party is seeking in November’s general election to flip the seat held by Sen. Susan Collins.

“A top Democrat on Sunday expressed “concerns” about Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner in the wake of reports that he exchanged sexually explicit texts with multiple women, which his wife said she flagged to his campaign”

MS NOW

It also reported that Maine Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign, while her name would still appear on the ballot, and it described how Democrats’ Senate hopes hinge on winning Maine as the only state that voted for Kamala Harris in 2024 where a Republican senator is seeking reelection in November.

Simon Rosenberg, a Democratic strategist, told The Post that the controversy could set Democrats back as they “We have a real shot at winning the Senate now, given recent polling, and this is not helpful,” and he said Republicans would likely use millions in campaign funds to attack Platner in the general election.

MS NOW added that Gertner defended her marriage to Platner and said, “We work on our mental health every day,” as she described counseling after she flagged the messages to the campaign.

The Guardian reported that Platner is the presumptive Democratic nominee ahead of a 9 June party primary to run against Sen. Susan Collins in the November general election, with Janet Mills dropping out of the race in April.