JUNE 2, 2026
Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner faces mounting scrutiny over sexual texts to other women as some supporters urge Gov. Mills to rejoin race
Graham Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee in Maine's 2026 Senate race, faces scrutiny after The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday that his wife, Amy Gertner, had flagged to campaign staff that he sent sexual text messages to other women while married. Gertner married Platner in 2023 and said in a video that she was "deeply hurt" that personal details had become public, calling the coverage "gossip." The revelations come ahead of Maine's June 9 primary, where Platner faces Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended active campaigning in April but remains on the ballot, and David Costello.
The story broke Saturday when The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that Gertner had divulged details of her husband's messages to Genevieve McDonald, a former campaign political director who left the campaign in October. McDonald shared the information with media outlets. Platner's campaign did not deny the underlying conduct; Gertner said in a video she considers the coverage "gossip" and described her marriage as "great."
Campaign strategist Morris Katz responded aggressively, sending a message through an intermediary to McDonald warning that the campaign would publicly name her and accuse her of sharing "explicit falsehoods to sabotage the campaign" if the story ran. After publication, Katz posted on X that it was "no one's f***ing business" what happened in Platner's marriage before he became a candidate, and accused McDonald of being an "opportunistic" operative who violated trust. The Bangor Daily News obtained the pre-publication message.
Fox News Digital reported that Platner maintains an active account on Kik, an anonymous messaging platform. The profile, which Fox News Digital said it reviewed, includes a photo of Platner's naked torso. Platner created the account in 2016; the campaign said he deleted the app from his phone long before The Wall Street Journal's reporting. Fox News Digital also noted that the National Center on Sexual Exploitation designated Kik a "predator's paradise" in 2023 and that the platform has been linked to child sexual exploitation cases, though Fox News Digital stated there is no evidence Platner communicated with minors on the platform.