Amy Gertner, the wife of Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, has confirmed that her husband exchanged sexually explicit messages with other women during their marriage. The revelation comes after details were shared with the media by the campaign's former political director, Genevieve McDonald.
According to reports from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, Gertner disclosed the texts to McDonald last year after discovering them on Platner's phone in spring 2025. The couple sought marriage counselling, and campaign aides initially deemed the matter private. However, McDonald later shared the information with reporters.
In a statement released by Platner's campaign, Gertner expressed her hurt that the private details were made public. 'I confided deeply personal details about my marriage to someone I considered a friend,' she said. 'We did the hard work that marriage requires... Our marriage today is stronger than ever before.'
McDonald defended her decision, telling the New York Times: 'The United States Senate is not a training ground for redemption. It is a place for proven leaders with moral clarity and integrity.' She was one of three campaign officials who resigned in October after Platner's Nazi-style tattoo and controversial social media posts surfaced.
Platner, an oyster farmer and former US Marine, is the presumptive Democratic nominee for Maine's US Senate seat, aiming to unseat Republican Susan Collins. The campaign has also faced scrutiny over past racist, sexist, and homophobic online comments, as well as a now-covered Totenkopf tattoo.
