Progressive Leaders Brush Off Graham Platner’s Sexting Controversy: ‘He Has Grown’

BreakingBusinessBreaking NewsProgressive Leaders Brush Off Graham Platner’s Sexting Controversy: ‘He Has Grown’ByZachary Folk,Forbes Staff. I cover breaking news.Follow AuthorJun 01, 2026, 07:48pm EDTToplineProgressive leaders in Congress are standing by Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, dismissing concerns about the Democratic Senate hopeful’s campaign after multiple outlets reported he sent sexually explicit texts to women behind his wife’s back in the past.Platner reportedly in the past sent sexually explicit messages to women other than his wife, according to reports published over the weekend.Getty ImagesKey FactsSen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., one of Platner’s earliest supporters in the Democratic primary race, told the Associated Press that voters couldn’t afford groceries, gas prices and health care, insisting “I think it might be a good idea if we focused on the important issues facing the working families of Maine and this country.”“My understanding is that his wife is standing by her husband, and I wish their marriage the very best,” Sanders also told reporters on Monday.Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who endorsed Platner in March, also brushed off concerns when asked about the situation by reporters on Capitol Hill on Monday, again repeating that she was more concerned about gas prices.Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., defended Platner as a candidate who “has lived not your typical political experience,” NBC News reported, adding the oyster farmer is “winning the polls, he's willing to accept that he has grown as a person, and I think we should accept that.”Gallego also referenced gas prices as Democrats prepare to hammer Republicans over cost of living concerns, insisting voters are “not going to care about text messages and everything else like that that happened years ago.” if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var ifra...