With just over a week until Maine's Senate primary, Democrat Graham Platner's already turbulent campaign has hit a new snag. Reports from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times reveal that Platner exchanged explicit text messages with several women, and his wife had raised concerns with campaign staff months ago.
Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, released a video on social media Saturday defending her husband, calling the coverage "shameful" and accusing "a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip." Her five-minute plea, which included the line "No marriage is perfect, and I don't want a perfect marriage. I want my marriage," resonated with supporters for its raw tone. But critics pointed out it didn't deny the core accusation—and implicitly acknowledged it.
The Journal also reported that Platner maintained an active Kik account, a private messaging app, where his profile featured a shirtless mirror selfie. His campaign said he had deleted the app but hadn't deactivated the account. The story adds to a long list of controversies that have dogged the Marine Corps veteran, including past online comments downplaying sexual assault, racial stereotyping, and homophobia—remarks he later called "indefensible."
The most notorious incident before this involved a chest tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol, which Platner said he got unknowingly during his service and later covered up. Now, the sexting furor raises a central question: Do voters care?
Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky argued, "I could not care less who he was sexting with as long as it's consensual. The only person who should care is Mrs. Platner." But she and others worry about what else might emerge from an apparently thin vetting process.
University of Maine political science professor Mark Brewer noted that past scandals haven't slowed Platner, despite their severity. "Misogynistic comments, anti-Black comments, slurs against people with disabilities. Normally any one of those—not to mention an SS tattoo—would be pretty disqualifying." Yet Platner surged past Governor Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign in late April but remains on the ballot.
Centrist Democrats fear the cumulative effect could hurt Platner's general election chances against Senator Susan Collins, who faces a tough reelection in a state Harris won by 7 points in 2024. Republican strategist Susan Del Percio said the sexting alone isn't "that significant" given his wife's support, but it adds to "this cumulative effect of: 'What else don't we know about him?'"
Platner's insurgent, outsider brand may inoculate him. As Roginsky noted, party establishment figures like Chuck Schumer may be uneasy, but Platner's pugnacious style has proven resilient. The coming primary will test whether Maine voters see the scandal as a disqualifying risk or just another skirmish in a bare-knuckle campaign.
