Co-hosts of ABC’s “The View” took aim at Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner on Monday, excoriating him over a sexting scandal and a pattern of inflammatory remarks that have dogged his campaign. The criticism comes as Platner, a Marine Corps veteran and the party’s frontrunner, holds a narrow lead over incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in recent polls.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former White House communications director under President Trump who has since become a vocal critic, led the charge. She cataloged a series of past comments Platner made on Reddit, including a statement that a Purple Heart recipient “didn’t deserve to live,” accusations that Navy SEAL Chris Kyle killed civilians, dismissive remarks about women reporting sexual assault in the military, and use of homophobic slurs. Platner has since disavowed those posts, attributing them to his struggles with PTSD.
Griffin also highlighted a tattoo Platner once had that resembled a Nazi symbol. Platner has said he got the ink during a night of drinking in Croatia nearly two decades ago and has since covered it up. The revelations have fueled broader questions about his judgment and character.
Over the weekend, reports emerged that Platner sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women after marrying his wife, Amy Gertner, in 2023. Gertner reportedly alerted his campaign team to the texts last year. In a video posted Saturday, Gertner defended her husband, saying, “Graham and I have a great marriage. Being married is hard. Being newly married is hard.”
Despite the controversies, Platner leads Collins in the Pine Tree State Poll conducted by the University of New Hampshire from May 21 to 25, with 51 percent support among 1,397 likely voters versus 42 percent for Collins. The race is seen as a key Democratic pickup opportunity, but Griffin argued the party should not hitch its hopes to a candidate with such baggage. “This guy just seems like a guy of not very good character,” she said, adding, “Don’t die on the hill of a guy who is going to be a headache for you for years to come.”
Co-Host Calls Platner Unfit for Congress
Sara Haines, who co-hosts the show, echoed Griffin’s concerns. She called Platner’s past comments a “problem” and said, “If you are capable of saying that at any time in your life, you’ve shown me who you are and I heard you. This man should be nowhere near Congress. We’ve already got a wealth of people we need out, we’re not sending one like this in.”
The backlash from “The View” underscores the growing pressure on Platner as he seeks to unseat Collins, a four-term incumbent. While some Democratic allies, such as Senator Bernie Sanders, have stood by Platner, dismissing the sexting scandal as a private matter, others have expressed concern. The controversy has also tested voter tolerance in the race, with new reports revealing that Gertner warned the campaign about the sexting before Platner launched his Senate bid.
Platner’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The race remains one of the most closely watched in the country, with Democrats eyeing a potential flip in a state that has trended blue in presidential elections but has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1988.
