Graham Platner is once again struggling to defend himself amid reports of youthful indiscretions that occurred in his late 30s.
Platner, the presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Maine, waged a dangerous assault on the free press—a bulwark of our cherished democracy—after the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported that he exchanged explicit texts with multiple women while married to his wife, Amy Gertner.
“No,” Platner sneered when asked if the esteemed media outlets were telling the truth. “The Wall Street Journal and New York Times ran stories without any evidence besides the gossip from a former staffer. I’m sorry, that’s frankly, journalistic malpractice.”
Except Platner’s campaign had already confirmed the authenticity of the messages described in the stories.
An official close to the campaign subsequently (and dubiously) walked back the candidate’s denial, telling NBC News that Platner was specifically accusing the Times of malpractice because the paper did have the scandalous texts in its possession, and he was “frustrated by the sensationalization of several private facts.”
The Journal also revealed that Platner has an active account on Kik, a private messaging app the National Center on Sexual Exploitation dubbed a “predator’s paradise” for facilitating communication between adults and vulnerable children.
Platner and his defenders lashed out at Genevieve McDonald, a former aide who spoke to the Times on the record about the texts, which Gertner shared with the campaign in 2025 during an internal vetting process.
“It’s no one’s fucking business what happened in Graham & Amy’s marriage before he was ever a candidate for office,” wrote Morris Katz, the 27-year-old operative advising Platner’s campaign. “There should be no place in our politics for incompetent, opportunistic operatives who violate privacy, betray trust, and prioritize vengeance over decency.”
Democratic strategist Alyssa Cass fumed that McDonald was a “gossip girl” whose actions were “straight gross as [a] political professional.” Indeed, the political consultant class is widely regarded as a paragon of ethical behavior.
In response, McDonald revealed that Katz had vowed to disparage her reputation if she didn’t retract her comments. “There is a back story here,” she wrote. “I will never allow myself to be threatened and intimidated by some punk kid consultant.”
McDonald resigned as Platner’s campaign director in October amid reports of the candidate’s old Reddit posts in which he made disparaging remarks about rural voters, black people, police officers, and rape victims. After leaving the campaign, she accused Platner of lying about not knowing the significance of the Nazi tattoo on his chest. “He’s not an idiot, he’s a military history buff,” she said. “He knows damn well what it means.”
Subsequent reporting on Platner’s old Reddit posts revealed that the candidate once discussed his inability to refrain from masturbating in porta potties.
The latest allegation did not stop Democrats and liberal commentators from lining up to defend Platner, which may or may not come back to haunt them in the future as we continue to learn more about his sordid (not-so-distant) past.
Jon Favreau, the former Obama speechwriter, dismissed the sexting scandal and suggested those who found it troubling should get over it because “there are other factors in the race that will have more of a direct impact on your life.” He neglected to mention the Nazi tattoo.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) conceded that Platner has “made mistakes” but suggested his “character” was still superior to that of Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine), who is “literally empowering the moral hollowing out of our nation.”
Left-wing journalist David Klion agreed. “The messier Platner turns out to be, the more I hope he wins—not because I like or respect him more, but because Susan Collins, one of the most evil people in public life, deserves to be humiliated as much as possible,” he wrote.
Rep. John Garamendi (D., Calif.) defended Platner by arguing his various scandals could have happened to anyone. “He has many good attributes,” he told CNN. “But like most everybody there are stumbles along the way.”
Jill Filipovic, a left-wing journalist best known for complaining about misogyny, argued that Platner’s scandals merely proved that men make bad decisions and should not be “disqualifying” for a U.S. Senate candidate (who is running against a Republican). “I certainly wish Dems had a better candidate,” she wrote. “But … Susan Collins voted to confirm Brett Kavanaugh.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.) said he was worried that Platner’s scandal might cost Democrats votes in the Senate. “I have concerns,” he said. “That guy has questions to answer, and that’s what campaigns are for. But … [Donald Trump] is dangerous, and it’s time that we take back the Senate, and that’s what I’m focused on.”
Matt Stoller, an elite boarding school grad, son of a banking executive, and anti-capitalist commentator, insisted that Platner was the victim of a “smear campaign” orchestrated by rich people who support Israel. “These aren’t scandals,” he wrote. “Have fun clutching pearls!”