A sexting scandal is endangering the Senate campaign of Democrat Graham Platner, who had emerged as the party's strongest challenger to longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins in Maine. Platner sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women, a revelation that came to light after his wife, Amy Gertner, discovered the exchanges in spring 2025.
Gertner informed Platner's campaign about the messages last year, but the campaign chose to treat it as a private matter, according to a campaign official who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. The issue has now become public, adding to a series of controversies that have dogged Platner's insurgent bid.
The scandal arrives at a critical moment for Democrats, who need to gain four seats to reclaim the Senate majority. Winning in Maine is seen as essential to that goal, and Platner had been leading in polls before the latest controversy broke. Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat who suspended her own Senate campaign after Platner surged ahead, reminded voters over the weekend that she remains on the ballot for next week's primary. "People have the impression that I 'withdrew' or 'dropped out,'" Mills told the Portland Press Herald. "I simply suspended active campaigning. I am still on the ballot."
Some Democratic strategists downplayed the impact on the primary, arguing the timing may limit damage. David Farmer, a former top aide to ex-Governor John Baldacci, said: "Being so close to the June 9 primary, I'm not sure it is going to make a big difference among those Democratic primary voters." However, he added, "I think it's another potential problem for the campaign in the general election against a very tough incumbent in Sen. Susan Collins."
Platner's campaign has sought to contain the fallout. A campaign official told The New York Times that Platner stopped sending explicit messages before launching his Senate bid. In a direct-to-camera response, Gertner criticized the media coverage as "really shameful." Platner, a populist oyster farmer, accused outlets of trying "to rip" their marriage apart. "Amy and I went through something hard — because of me. We did the work, and I'm grateful for her every hour of every day," Platner said in a statement. "What I've learned throughout this campaign is that people don't care about gossip or headlines, they care that you're fighting for their hospitals, their paycheck, their kids."
The scandal adds to a list of past controversies for Platner, including an apology for a Nazi-linked tattoo and sexist and racist remarks uncovered on Reddit forums. In a post-Trump political environment, strategists from both parties have noted that voters may be more tolerant of personal scandals. Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons observed: "I think it's a problem, I just don't know if it's an irredeemable offense. What is becoming increasingly clear is that people in states and communities don't have the same outrage meter as those in Washington and in the political class." Because Gertner has forgiven her husband, Simmons added, "I think a lot of people will accept that."
Democratic strategist Anthony Coley echoed that sentiment, noting that "voters have a higher threshold than they did before" due to President Trump's past allegations. James Melcher, a political science professor at the University of Maine at Farmington, predicted the controversy would have little effect on the primary or the general election. "I think it's long enough before the election that I think it will have probably a small negative impact, but I don't think it's going to swing the election," he said.
However, Republican strategists see the accumulation of scandals as potentially fatal. Susan Del Percio, a veteran GOP strategist who opposes Trump, said: "In this case, it's not the texts that's going to get him, it's going to be the totality of all that has happened." Brent Littlefield, a longtime Republican strategist, told The Hill: "There are only so many times the voters will forgive. I think his time has run out." The Senate Republicans' campaign arm also seized on the issue, with spokesperson Bernadette Breslin noting Platner's active account on the Kik messaging app, which she called a "predator's paradise." Platner's campaign told The Wall Street Journal that while his account was active, he had deleted the app from his phone.
Democrats are treading carefully. A spokesperson for the Senate Democrats' campaign arm said: "Democrats are dedicated to winning a Senate majority and fighting back against the chaos of the Trump administration by defeating the Republicans like Susan Collins who enable his harmful agenda." The question for Platner, said veteran Democratic strategist Karen Finney, is whether more revelations will surface. "Is there more out there, or is this everything?" she asked. "The more that happens, the more it can erode your trust and our ability to recover."
