A Democratic Senate candidate who previously described himself as a “communist” in deleted Reddit posts is facing new scrutiny after his wife confirmed he exchanged sexually explicit texts with several women after they married, according to reports.
Graham Platner, Maine’s presumptive Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate, is running to unseat five-term Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine). The new texting controversy adds to a campaign already marked by deleted Reddit posts, a tattoo associated with Nazi imagery, and crude comments that have drawn national attention.
Wife Says Couple Went To Counseling
Platner’s campaign confirmed the text exchanges after The Wall Street Journal first reported that his wife, Amy Gertner, told a campaign aide about messages she found after the couple married in 2024, Fox News reported.
Gertner said she had shared private details about her marriage with someone she considered a friend.
“I confided deeply personal details about my marriage to someone I considered a friend. In the months since, I have had to watch as she spread malicious gossip to anyone who would take her call. I trusted this person with the most private chapter of our lives — the early days of our marriage before any campaign was on our mind — and I am deeply hurt by her betrayal and the invasion of our privacy,” Gertner said in a statement to The Wall Street Journal, according to Fox News.
Gertner said she and Platner worked through the issue.
“Did the hard work that marriage requires. We went to counseling. We were honest with each other in ways that weren’t easy. And we came through it, not in spite of how much we’ve been through, but because of how much we love each other and the life we’ve built. Our marriage today is stronger than ever before,” she said, according to Fox News.
Deleted Posts And Tattoo Draw Scrutiny
The texting report follows earlier controversies over Platner’s online history.
In deleted Reddit posts, Platner described himself as a “communist,” criticized rural white Americans, and attacked police, according to prior reporting from the Bangor Daily News.
Platner later denied being a communist.
“I’m not a communist. I’m not a socialist. I own a small business. I’m a Marine Corps veteran,” Platner told CNN.
Platner has also faced scrutiny over a since-covered tattoo associated with Nazi imagery. He has said he did not know the meaning of the tattoo when he got it after drinking while serving overseas, the Associated Press reported.
Senate Race Draws National Attention
Platner is considered the presumptive Democratic nominee after Maine Gov. Janet Mills dropped out of the race in April, Fox News reported.
A recent University of New Hampshire poll showed Platner leading Collins 51% to 42% among likely Maine voters.
Collins has called Platner too extreme for Maine.
“I believe that will be the conclusion of Maine voters,” Collins told Fox News Digital. “But, obviously, I don’t take anything for granted.”
Platner has argued that Collins represents the more radical position.
“What’s radical is somebody like Susan Collins, who, for decades now, has made sure that we pass policies that are going to help corporations and billionaires to the detriment of working people, supporting over and over and over again, illegal and insane foreign wars,” Platner told Fox News Digital.
The latest report gives Republicans another line of attack as Platner tries to hold support from national Democrats, progressive groups, and Maine voters ahead of the general election.
