Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, informed a campaign aide last summer about finding sexually explicit texts on his phone with several women. Gertner shared this information during a vetting exercise to assess potential risks to Platner's campaign, as reported by the New York Times. Gertner and Platner were married in November 2023.
This incident adds to the controversies surrounding Platner's campaign against incumbent Senator Susan Collins (R-ME). Platner, who has been the presumptive Democratic nominee since Governor Janet Mills (D-ME) withdrew from the race in April, has faced criticism for past social media posts and a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol.
A recent University of New Hampshire poll indicates that Platner is leading Collins by nine percentage points in a hypothetical matchup. Gertner stated that the campaign's political director, Genevieve McDonald, was a friend, and campaign officials decided the matter was private, to be handled through marriage counseling.
Gertner expressed her support for Platner, stating, "I know who Graham is... That hasn’t changed, and it won’t." The extramarital relationships have been confirmed by campaign officials. Platner's strategist, Morris Katz, criticized the handling of the situation, stating that personal matters should remain private.
Democrats view the race as significant, with Platner's populist platform gaining traction. Recent controversies include a dispute with Collins regarding his military service and resurfaced comments about the Armenian genocide. A campaign official noted that Platner had communicated with up to six women, but this behavior ceased before the campaign launch, while McDonald claimed he had messaged as many as a dozen women. Platner's campaign confirmed the reports over the weekend.