Graham Platner's Wife Flagged Explicit Texts to His Campaign

Days before the story surfaced publicly, the central facts about Graham Platner's sexually explicit messages were already known inside his own campaign — because his wife had told them.

What Amy Gertner Told the Campaign and When

Shortly after Platner launched his bid for a Maine Senate seat, his wife Amy Gertner told campaign aides she had seen sexually explicit texts on his phone. The disclosure came in late August, during a period when aides were conducting opposition research on their own candidate.

Gertner, whom Platner has been married to since November 2023, told the campaign about the texts during that internal vetting process. She had found the messages in the spring of 2025, early into her marriage.

Gertner said she had told the campaign aide about the texts to several women to make sure they didn't pose a risk to her husband's campaign. In a statement provided by Platner's campaign, Gertner said she believed she was confiding in an aide she considered a friend.

How the Campaign Responded

A campaign official told the Journal that the aide ultimately decided the texts were a private matter being handled by the couple in marriage counseling. Ultimately, the campaign's leadership decided it was a private issue, and they moved forward with a scheduled rally with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who was a crucial early backer of Platner.

Gertner said she and her husband "did the hard work that marriage requires" and that they went to counseling and "were honest with each other in ways that weren't easy." She added that their marriage today "is stronger than ever before."

Gertner also addressed the disclosure itself. She noted that she had shared "deeply personal details about my marriage" to the unnamed campaign staffer, writing that she had "trusted this person with the most private chapter of our lives" and that she was "deeply hurt" by what followed.

What Is at Stake Ten Days Before the Primary

Since Platner entered Maine's nationally-watched Senate race, a number of revelations have emerged about his past conduct — from inflammatory social media posts to a tattoo of a Nazi symbol he had on his chest for many years. The controversy over those earlier posts fueled attack ads from Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who suspended her campaign ahead of the June 9 Democratic primary.

Despite those controversies, Platner boxed out Mills from the primary after she failed to blunt his momentum in polls and fundraising. A third candidate, David Costello, remains in the race, though he has badly trailed Platner in polling and fundraising.

Democrats' hopes of defeating Collins — and taking back the Senate — now rest on Platner's shoulders. The texts story broke publicly on May 30, nine days before voters cast ballots in the Democratic primary. Whether Platner continues his bid and how the party's base responds in that narrow window are questions the reporting, as of Saturday, leaves open.