Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, informed a campaign aide during a vetting process last summer that she had discovered sexually explicit texts from several women on his phone. Gertner communicated this information to the campaign's then-political director, Genevieve McDonald, to assess any potential risks to Platner's campaign. Gertner and Platner were married in November 2023.
This report adds to the series of controversies surrounding Platner's campaign against incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). Platner has faced scrutiny over derogatory social media posts and a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. He has been the presumed Democratic nominee since Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) withdrew from the race in April. A recent University of New Hampshire poll indicates that Platner leads Collins by nine percentage points in a hypothetical matchup.
In a statement, Gertner described McDonald as a friend and noted that the campaign staff decided to handle the matter privately through marriage counseling. Gertner expressed her commitment to Platner, stating, "I know who Graham is... That hasn’t changed, and it won’t." The existence of the extramarital relationships has been confirmed by current and former campaign officials.
Democrats view this race as a significant Senate contest in the upcoming November elections, as Platner's populist platform has gained traction. Recently, he engaged in a dispute with Collins regarding his military service in the Iraq War, and a since-deleted Reddit comment about the Armenian genocide has also surfaced. Gertner confided in McDonald ahead of a Labor Day weekend campaign rally with Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and expressed feeling "deeply hurt" by the situation, referencing an invasion of privacy. Gertner disclosed her knowledge of the explicit texts shortly after Platner announced his candidacy, but the rally proceeded as scheduled.