Last summer, Graham Platner’s wife alerted his Senate campaign about his exchange of sexually explicit messages with several women, but these details remained concealed until recently.
She uncovered the messages in the spring of 2025 and informed a campaign staffer in late August, shortly after Platner announced his candidacy. This was reported by the Wall Street Journal. At that moment, his team was engaged in opposition research regarding their own candidates.
Instead of viewing the messages as a potential issue, aides brushed them off as a personal situation, noting that the couple was seeking counseling. A Labor Day rally featuring Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders went on as planned, without any disturbances.
The aides who received this information have since been named. Genevieve McDonald, the former political director of the campaign, confirmed that Platner had shared details about the sexting. CNN reported it had seen a Kik account believed to belong to Platner, although it couldn’t verify the texts independently.
Gartner expressed her anger over the matter becoming public, stating that she had disclosed “very personal details about our marriage” to someone she trusted, and felt “deeply hurt by her betrayal and invasion of our privacy.” She remains supportive of her husband, mentioning, “We put in the hard work it takes to get married. We even went to counseling,” and asserted that their relationship “has never been stronger.”
The Kick’s profile, identified under the handle phustle0331, features a shirtless mirror selfie from 2016. The campaign claimed Platner had deleted the app but had not deactivated his account.
Platner is already facing significant controversy. As reported by CBS News, he has dealt with backlash for a Nazi-related tattoo and an old controversial internet post. His foremost opponent, Governor Janet Mills, stepped out of the race back in April.
Platner attributed his previous views to military culture, stating, “Infantry soldiers have a vulgar sense of humor,” during an interview with CBS News in April.
