Graham Platner holds Maine rally with Rep. Ro Khanna as scandals shake up campaign

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Graham Platner, the insurgent Democratic campaigner for U.S. Senate successful Maine, held his archetypal large run rally connected Friday nighttime arsenic reports proceed emerging astir his past with women.

Last weekend, his run wrestled with stories astir sexually explicit messages that Platner sent to respective women portion helium was married. Then connected Thursday, The New York Times reported astir his relationships with erstwhile girlfriends. Some viewed him positively but others described him arsenic volatile and insulting.

One pistillate said Platner twisted her limb during an statement and locked her successful a room. Platner called that allegation untrue.

But with Maine's superior astir the country Tuesday and Democrats hopeless to rally down a campaigner who tin decision Republican Sen. Susan Collins successful November, there's been small motion of voters oregon governmental allies backing distant from Platner, who has pitched himself arsenic an imperfect idiosyncratic who has redeemed himself.

Some dismissed quality of the substance messages arsenic a backstage matter, 1 that should beryllium addressed solely by the joined couple. Others reason that the request for Democrats to instrumentality backmost power of the U.S. Senate from Republicans is excessively important to formed speech imperfect candidates.

Yet they're besides wrestling with the question of whether much arguable accusation surrounding Platner could travel retired up of the November election.

“I deliberation a batch of radical are afraid,” said Deb Dagnan, seat of Maine’s Piscataquis County Democrats. “They’re waiting for the different footwear to driblet aft helium gets the nomination. Then what bash we do?”

Key to the Senate

Platner is cardinal to Democrats hopes' to instrumentality backmost the U.S. Senate this year. Yet he's been bedeviled by near-constant controversies involving his disclosure of a since-covered tattoo of a Nazi symbol, his past of inflammatory online comments and the texting revelations.

Nevertheless, Platner's astir salient supporters person continued to backmost the candidate, including Sens. Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Ruben Gallego. Platner appeared successful Bar Harbor Friday evening with progressive Rep. Ro Khanna of California, arsenic good arsenic Democratic candidates for U.S. House and governor, arsenic a portion of a “get retired the vote” rally successful the coastal edifice town.

The lawsuit is taking spot conscionable days up of the state's June 9 superior election, wherever Platner is expected to unafraid the Democratic nomination. His apical opponent, Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her run successful precocious April.

He'll bash truthful nether reignited scrutiny amid reports that helium and his wife, Amy Gertner, person had marital difficulties and sought counseling aft helium allegedly sent sexually explicit substance messages to different women.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Gertner had told the run successful August astir the messages, which she had discovered connected his telephone past year, to marque definite they weren’t a liability to the campaign. Platner’s run squad reportedly decided that the texts were backstage and being handled by the couple, who were joined successful 2023.

Genevieve McDonald, a erstwhile run staffer for Platner, told The Associated Press that the campaigner was “sexting aggregate women portion married” and that “the run tried to measure that arsenic an predetermination vulnerability.”

Shortly aft the quality came out, Platner posted a five-minute video taken by Gertner, who avoided speaking straight astir her husband’s reported texts but dubbed the broader sum arsenic “gossip” and said “being joined is hard.”

Voters interest that much scandals lurk

Gertner's affectional comments astir moving connected her matrimony person resonated with immoderate women, who accidental they are shocked that a erstwhile run adjutant would betray someone's spot and the contented should stay betwixt the couple.

“It’s nary of my concern arsenic acold arsenic I’m concerned,” said Joanne Mason, a section Democratic person from south-central Maine. “And I would anticipation that radical wouldn’t justice immoderate 1 idiosyncratic connected their ain backstage marriage.”

Valerie Tate, a Democrat from Belfast, described Gertner's honesty astir trying to enactment connected their intelligence wellness and matrimony arsenic admirable.

“That is not a scandal,” Tate wrote successful an email. “That is integrity. Personal maturation is not a disqualification from nationalist life. For galore of us, it is precisely what made america worthy of it.”

However, Tate conceded that her caput wasn’t afloat astatine ease. With the nationalist inactive learning astir Platner’s past, determination is simply a accidental thing could look arsenic a dealbreaker for voters.

“Of course, determination is that interest arsenic determination would beryllium successful immoderate contention with idiosyncratic we don’t cognize each the dramas and the journeys they’ve been on," she wrote. "Something could travel retired that would beryllium disqualifying.”

Past controversies simmer

This isn’t the archetypal clip Platner has faced questions astir his past. He had a tattoo recognized arsenic a Nazi symbol, which helium had covered up aft starting his campaign.

Platner has said helium didn't recognize the meaning of the tattoo. However, a erstwhile woman told the Times helium joked astir it being a Nazi awesome and called it “my Totenkopf.”

There’s besides been overmuch attraction connected Platner's erstwhile Reddit posts, which were dismissive of subject intersexual assaults and utilized homophobic slurs, for which helium has apologized.

As revelations person emerged astir Platner, astatine slightest 2 feminist governmental groups Friday encouraged Maine voters to ballot for Mills. The Democratic politician is technically inactive connected the superior ballot, but has not publically commented connected whether voters should not ballot for Platner.

Platner has ne'er held elected bureau and has fashioned a straight-talking, progressive, populist-style run focusing connected issues specified arsenic income inequality, deficiency of wellness attraction accessibility and the rising outgo of housing. In return, he's attracted thousands astatine his rallies and run events and collected millions successful run funds to further boost his messaging.

“People privation idiosyncratic new,” said Paige Zeigler, a erstwhile Maine Democratic lawmaker and caput of the Waldo County Democrats, connected wherefore Platner's staying powerfulness has remained strong. “They privation idiosyncratic that they consciousness that they tin embrace. And Platner is riding that wave.” ___

Kruesi reported from Providence, Rhode Island.

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.