The spouse of U.S. Senate hopeful Graham Platner broke her silence this weekend regarding allegations that she had alerted his campaign about her husband’s inappropriate text communications with multiple women.
This marks another scandal for Platner’s fast-moving bid to secure the Democratic nomination in Maine before challenging Republican Sen. Susan Collins this November in what Democrats view as a crucial contest for Senate control.
On Saturday evening, Platner shared a video on X featuring his wife, Amy Gertner, who refrained from directly addressing the reported text messages. Instead, she characterized the media attention as “gossip” and acknowledged that “being married is hard.”
“I find it really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip,” Gertner stated in the casual, selfie-format recording as she walked along a roadway. “No marriage is perfect, and I don’t want a perfect marriage, I want my marriage.”
The Wall Street Journal initially broke the story about the text messages, reporting that Gertner had notified the campaign in August after discovering the communications on Platner’s device during an earlier period in their relationship. Her goal was to prevent any potential political damage to the first-time candidate. Campaign staff ultimately determined the messages were a private matter being addressed by the married couple, who wed in 2023.
“Our marriage counselor helps, my personal counselor helps, Graham’s personal counselor,” Gertner stated in Saturday’s video. “Graham and I have a great marriage.”
This isn’t Platner’s first scandal as an oyster farmer and military veteran seeking office. Earlier controversies included a tattoo bearing Nazi imagery, which he claimed he was unaware of until weeks into his campaign. Additionally, he faced criticism over deleted Reddit posts that minimized military sexual assault and contained anti-gay slurs.
Despite these revelations during the Democratic primary against the state’s Gov. Janet Mills, Platner’s campaign survived after Mills was compelled to end her candidacy, leaving Platner as the expected Democratic nominee.
Platner’s campaign has not yet responded to requests for comment.
