Sen. Bernie Sanders is stepping in to defend Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after reports surfaced that the presumptive Democratic nominee exchanged sexually explicit text messages with women early in his marriage. The Vermont independent, who endorsed Platner's challenge to Republican Sen. Susan Collins, dismissed the controversy as a distraction from kitchen-table issues.
Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Sanders pivoted hard to economic grievances. "We got a housing crisis. People can't afford healthcare, they can't afford groceries, they can't afford to fill up their gas tanks," he said. "I think it's important for us to focus on the issues facing working families a little bit more than Graham Platner's marriage."
Sanders framed the moment as a choice between substance and theater. "I wish their marriage the very best. But right now, I think we should be focusing on the crises facing the working class and electing people of the guts to stand up to the oligarchs who control our country," he added.
The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that Platner's wife, Amy Gertner, learned of the explicit messages during a conversation with his campaign team last year as they prepared for potential opposition research. Platner's campaign confirmed he had sent the texts to multiple women at the start of his marriage in 2023.
Gertner released a video defending her husband, calling the coverage "gossip" and saying she was "really angry" about it. She emphasized they have worked through their issues with counseling and now have a "great marriage."
Platner himself acknowledged the transgression obliquely. "Amy and I went through something hard, because of me," he said in a written statement. "We did the work, and I'm grateful for her every hour of every day." He added that voters care about bread-and-butter issues, not personal scandals.
Other prominent Democrats are following Sanders' lead. Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona told reporters that Platner has "lived not your typical political experience" but has been transparent with his wife and "worked through whatever they worked through." Gallego noted Platner is winning polls and credited him for accepting personal growth.
"The drip, drip that's actually happening is Americans are really, really hurt," Gallego said, pointing to high gas and food prices and housing affordability. "They're not going to care about text messages and everything else like that that happened years ago."
Sen. Martin Heinrich of New Mexico called the reports "a tabloid story" and suggested a yawning gap between how Washington and Maine voters evaluate the race. "There's a big D.C.-America disconnect," he told reporters Monday, adding he considers the matter settled between the couple.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, another Platner endorser, pivoted the conversation to Collins' record. "Graham Platner is showing the courage and determination to take that on. I believe that's what the people of Maine care the most about," Warren said when asked if the texts raised character concerns.
The defense effort arrives as Platner prepares to meet with Senate Democrats this week, a trip a source confirmed was previously scheduled and unrelated to the weekend revelations.
Platner's path to the Democratic nomination has been turbulent. In October, he apologized for resurfaced Reddit posts in which he minimized sexual assault challenges faced by military members, made derogatory comments about rural Americans, and encouraged substance-limiting advice tied to sexual violence. That same month he covered a chest tattoo he said resembled a Nazi symbol, claiming he received it while in the Marines in 2007 without understanding its associations.
Despite the revelations, polling has showed him as a favorite among Maine Democrats, prompting Gov. Janet Mills to suspend her own Senate campaign in April. Mills clarified Monday she remains on the June 9 primary ballot but suspended active campaigning.
Collins responded with restrained criticism. "Every day there's a new revelation about Graham Platner that reflects on his character," the Republican said Monday.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Sanders and the Democratic establishment are betting that economic anxiety will overwhelm voter concerns about character, but that's a risky calculus in a state where Collins' brand depends on moderation and trustworthiness."
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