4 days ago
Senate hopeful Graham Platner of Maine exchanged sexually definitive texts pinch different women during his marriage, according to accusation his woman shared pinch his run past year, nan New York Times and nan Wall Street Journal reported.
Platner, an oyster husbandman and erstwhile US marine, is Maine’s presumptive Democratic nominee for nan US Senate aft his main competitor, Janet Mills, suspended her run past month. He’s vying to unseat five-term Republican senator Susan Collins successful a run that’s captured viral progressive attention, while besides facing contention related to dredged-up racist, sexist and homophobic online posts – and a now-covered-up tattoo of a Totenkopf, wide recognized arsenic a Nazi symbol.
After Platner launched his run past August earlier a Labor Day rally pinch Vermont legislator Bernie Sanders, his squad reportedly began guidance investigation connected their campaigner to uncover immoderate accusation that could beryllium revealed during his bid for Senate. At that time, his wife, Amy Gertner, shared pinch nan campaign’s past governmental director, Genevieve McDonald, that she had recovered sexually definitive messages her hubby had sent different women connected his telephone successful nan outpouring of 2025. She and Platner had begun matrimony counseling, and nan campaign’s aides yet decided nan messages were a backstage matter.
In a statement released by Platner’s campaign, Gertner said she was “deeply hurt” by nan news that McDonald had shared specifications of Platner’s matter messages pinch reporters.
“I confided profoundly individual specifications astir my matrimony to personification I considered a friend,” she said. “I trusted this personification pinch nan astir backstage section of our lives – nan early days of our matrimony earlier immoderate run was connected our mind.”
“We did nan difficult activity that matrimony requires. We went to counseling. We were honorable pinch each different successful ways that weren’t easy,” she added. “And we came done it, not successful spite of really overmuch we’ve been through, but because of really overmuch we emotion each different and nan life we’ve built. Our matrimony coming is stronger than ever before.”
“I cognize who Graham is. I cognize nan man I joined and nan hubby he has been to maine connected nan champion and nan worst days of my life. That hasn’t changed, and it won’t,” Gertner said.
“The United States Senate is not a training crushed for redemption. It is simply a spot for proven leaders pinch civilized clarity and integrity,” McDonald told nan New York Times. McDonald was 1 of 3 run officials who resigned aft specifications of Platner’s tattoo and arguable societal media posts were revealed successful October.
According to nan Wall Street Journal, Platner has an progressive relationship connected Kik, a backstage messaging level sometimes utilized for sexting. The relationship is listed nether nan username phustle0331 and includes a floor plan image taken successful reflector that shows a shirtless man pinch a towel wrapped astir his waist pinch tattoos that look to lucifer those connected Platner’s arms.
Platner told nan New Yorker past twelvemonth that he initially met Gertner, an creation teacher, done friends earlier they matched connected Bumble, a making love app.
