WASHINGTON — Democratic Maine Senate hopeful Graham Platner privately acknowledged Tuesday that there are even more damning rumors spreading about him in the wake of his sexting scandal, but was adamant that the gossip is false.
Platner had attempted damage control with Senate Democrats in DC after details of his extramarital sexts with half a dozen women roiled his campaign over the weekend.
“It’s not a secret I’ve had a messy, complicated life,” Platner told his aspirant colleagues, the Wall Street Journal reported. “The worst of the rumors we’ve all heard are not true.”
Gossip both inside the Beltway and in Maine has suggested for months that news of another controversy involving the Marine veteran and oyster farmer could emerge, but so far, no such report has come to light.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who endorsed Platner over Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills ahead of the June 9 primary, impressed upon the candidate that there is a massive difference between infidelity and allegations of criminal wrongdoing such as sexual assault, according to the report.
Platner responded by insisting that no “credible” accusations to that effect are pending, per the Journal.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), another Platner endorser, also pressed him about whether any fresh allegations would emerge, with the Mainer saying they would not.
Platner had publicly denied having any more skeletons in his closet long before bombshell reports by the Wall Street Journal and New York Times that his current wife presented evidence of him messaging other women to his campaign’s former political director.
The Senate hopeful had used the anonymous app Kik to send sexually explicit messages, and his account was still active as recently as earlier this week.
“He was very explicit that he accepts the right of Maine voters to ask him questions about his personal life and his responsibility to answer those questions,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) told the Journal about the meeting with Platner.
Platner later cut his trip to DC short and headed back to Maine, with his allies citing the presence of a Post reporter who turned up at his in-laws’ home and mother’s restaurant seeking comment.
Reps for Platner, Warren and Sanders did not immediately respond when contacted about the Journal report.
Platner has a 7.8 percentage-point edge over incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), per the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate; however, Collins has a history of overperforming her polls, most recently in her 2020 re-election bid.
