SULLIVAN, Maine — Graham Platner, a former Marine machine-gunner who built a Senate campaign around a message of economic populism, is facing a widening slate of questions about his personal conduct as he closes in on the Democratic nomination.
The campaign acknowledged that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, discovered sexually explicit text messages on his phone with several women. Platner has called the media coverage of the texts “gossip” and said the stories distract from policy issues.
On June 5, Lyndsey Fifield, who dated Platner about a decade ago, posted an accusation of abuse online. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal before the post became public, Platner said he never harmed anyone during that period. “No, no, no. Good lord, no,” he said. He has since denied the allegation. The Journal reported that the New York Times published a detailed account of Fifield’s claim and other women’s accounts of bad behavior.
The 41-year-old candidate also covered a tattoo on his chest that he learned only last year was a symbol adopted by the Nazi SS paramilitary. He said he got the ink with fellow Marine machine-gunners to commemorate surviving combat in Iraq. He addressed the tattoo on the liberal podcast “Pod Save America” in October.
Platner’s social media history includes a 2013 Reddit post in which he wrote, regarding sexual assault: “How about people just take some responsibility for themselves and not get so f——d up they wind up having sex with someone they don’t mean to?” He also posted in 2017 about masturbating in public toilets and in 2020 called police “bastards.” Platner has said he was a different person when he wrote those posts and has since grown.
The scrutiny has erupted at a pivotal moment. Platner’s primary opponent, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, suspended her campaign in late May, effectively clearing the path for Platner to become the Democratic nominee in the June 9 primary. Mills cited Platner’s momentum and her own limited prospects by remaining in the race.
Platner’s rise began last July when liberal activists Daniel Moraff and Leanne Fan recruited him at his home in Sullivan, a town of about 1,200 across the bay from Acadia National Park. Platner, an oyster farmer and harbor master, had never run for office. His only previous elected role was chairman of the planning board.
Moraff said the campaign hired a background firm to vet Platner. “We paid a nice firm a whole chunk of money and got some stuff back. Some of what you’ve seen on the news we got back. Other stuff we didn’t,” Moraff told the Journal. He said the vetting missed some of the social media posts, the tattoo, and the text messages. Based on what the firm found, Moraff said, “I said none of this will or should stop him from becoming a U.S. senator.”
Genevieve McDonald, Platner’s former political director who resigned after the Reddit posts became public, said the campaign failed to conduct adequate vetting. “This was a large part of why I quit,” she said. “I trusted Graham and his campaign to have done oppo research and cleared him.”
Platner’s background has become a point of contention among Maine voters. He was raised in Sullivan, the child of divorced parents active in Democratic politics. His father was a lawyer; his mother worked for food companies. His grandfather designed the interior of Windows on the World at the World Trade Center and created the iconic Platner chair, which sells with its ottoman for up to $18,000. Platner’s father provided a $200,000 mortgage for his home; Platner said he repays $954.83 a month.
“Of course, I have a cushion,” Platner said in an interview in May. “I don’t think that means I don’t work for a living. I don’t think it somehow offsets the fact that I did four tours in the infantry and served my country in intense combat.”
Platner’s main income is a veterans disability pension of about $4,800 per month. His oyster business lists his mother’s restaurant as its only major customer, according to a financial disclosure.
Despite the controversies, Platner has drawn large crowds with a message that takes on both parties. He supports boosting labor unions, breaking up alleged corporate monopolies, raising taxes on the wealthy, and providing government-funded healthcare to everyone. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, an early supporter, has endorsed him.
At a campaign event in Monmouth, Maine, earlier this year, Platner told about 300 people: “I am lucky enough that in my four combat deployments, I was blown up enough times that the VA thinks I deserve healthcare. And that is a ridiculous statement to make.”
But some early supporters have peeled away. Robert McLaughlin, 86, who initially said he was undecided because of Platner’s Reddit posts, now says “the character traits of Graham Platner are unacceptable.” His wife, Cynthia Robertson, who once campaigned for Platner, said she will vote for him only to defeat Collins, hoping the party eventually replaces him. She said she took down the Platner sign from their yard.
Platner himself has acknowledged he is not the same person he was during his early adulthood, when he said he struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder after four combat tours and drank heavily. “I have not always been the man I am today,” he told McLaughlin earlier this year.
The general election against Collins, a four-term Republican who has held her seat since 1997, is expected to be one of the most competitive in the country. The Cook Political Report rates the race as a toss-up.