Maine U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner is firing back after reporting over the weekend claimed he was sending sexually explicit texts to other women in the early days of his marriage.
The Wall Street Journal and New York Times cited a former campaign aide, former state Rep. Genevieve McDonald who was told about the texts by Platner’s wife Amy Gertner.
With his wife by his side, Platner addressed the claims to reporters over the weekend.
He said that while he has discussed his marriage with his campaign, the claims made by McDonald are false.
Platner went on to say that the Wall Street Journal and New York Times are guilty of “journalistic malpractice” for relying on the gossip of one former staffer.
Gertner issued her own statement on social media, calling the reporting “shameless.”
McDonald claimed that it was Gertner who flagged the texts, telling the campaign they could be damaging if they’re leaked.
The recent scandal is the latest in a string of controversies to hit Platner’s campaign, including his tattoo of a symbol associated with Nazis and the resurfacing of controversial comments he made on the website reddit several years ago.
So far, Platner’s campaign has weathered the storm, with recent polling from the University of New Hampshire putting him nine percentage points over incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
That polling was conducted before the most recent controversy.
