Graham Platner’s wife ‘angry, disappointed’ her past disclosures of his extramarital sexting were made public

The wife of Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner said she is “really angry” and “disappointed” about reports that she had told her husband’s campaign last year that he had exchanged sexually explicit texts with other women. “It makes me really angry, disappointed, and I find it really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip instead of talking about real issues that Graham is is running on,” Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, said in a direct-to-camera video released by Platner’s campaign on Saturday night. Gertner’s remarks came after The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal reported that Gertner had told Platner’s campaign about the sexually explicit texts last year, near the start of his Senate bid. Her disclosure came during a conversation with campaign officials about potential opposition research into Platner, the two outlets reported, with the Times citing Genevieve McDonald, a former political director for Platner’s campaign, and the Journal citing people familiar with the matter. Gertner, in the video she taped Saturday, said, “Graham and I have a great marriage. Being married is hard. Being newly married is hard. Being newly married and going through infertility is hard. Being newly married, going through infertility, and a senate campaign is, is hard.” She added that, “our marriage counselor helps, my personal counselor helps, Graham’s personal counselor helps.” The pair married in 2023 and have been open about their infertility struggles, including sharing that they traveled to Norway for in vitro fertilization treatment earlier this year. Platner’s campaign has been dogged by revelations about his past since he launched his bid for Senate last year, but so far that has not slowed the momentum of his campaign. In October, Platner apologized for resurfaced Reddit posts where he minimized the challenges faced by members of the military who have been sexually assaulted, called white rural people racist and stupid, referred to himself as a “communist,” and encouraged people to limit their intake of certain substances to avoid being raped. “For those of you who have read these things and been offended, have read these things and seen someone that you don’t recognize, I am deeply sorry,” Platner said in a video he posted on X. That same month, Platner covered up a tattoo on his chest that resembled a Nazi symbol, saying that he got the tattoo while in the Marines in 2007 and had no idea the skull and crossbones was associated with Nazis. In her video Saturday, Gertner added, “No marriage is perfect, and I don’t want a perfect marriage. I want my marriage, and I want to be married to Graham. ... I knew the man that I married is wonderful and dynamic, and probably a genius.” Maine Gov. Janet Mills launched her own campaign for the Democratic nomination for Senate last year, but dropped out in April after she struggled to fundraise and trailed Platner in the polls. Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, has been endorsed by a slate of national progressive leaders, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif. After reports of Platner’s sexual texts to other women emerged Saturday, Khanna reemphasized his support for the Maine Senate candidate and advertised a campaign rally he’ll be attending alongside Platner in June. “I am proud of @grahamformaine for having the character to stand up against the war in Iran, against genocide, and against an unfair & lopsided economy. I am proud of him for having a vision for a new deal for our time. Excited to campaign with him June 5!” Khanna wrote in a post on X. Platner, now the presumptive Democratic nominee for Senate in Maine, is challenging longtime incumbent Maine GOP Sen. Susan Collins, who is running for a sixth term in the Senate. While Maine has trended towards Democrats in presidential elections — Vice President Kamala Harris won the state by seven percentage points in 2024 — Collins has outperformed other Republicans in recent elections to keep her seat. The GOP senator won her 2020 reelection race by nine percentage points.