a message from Graham Platner's wife Amy

[eShirl]

[RandySF]

1. Wasn't Katie Hill run out of office for the same thing?

[eShirl]

3. I have no idea who that is, sorry

[RandySF]

4. Former Representative Katie Hill (D)?

[eShirl]

5. from Maine?

why, what did they do?

[keep_left]

12. Katie Hill was a Representative from CA.

She resigned over some personal indiscretions, including an affair with a staff member, IIRC. These days, the same events might have passed with barely any notice.

[eShirl]

13. thanks

sounds like a different situation

[W_HAMILTON]

15. As was Eric Swalwell.

Will whoever Platner was texting think it's all no big deal too?

Or is this just the first shoe to drop? Well, first shoe to drop when it comes to THIS particular controversy, given that he's already racked up quite a few of them already for someone who's not even our nominee...

[keep_left]

19. See reply #13. I'm pretty sure that the Katie Hill situation...

...was rather different from the others discussed here. TBH, I don't know enough yet to have much of an opinion about either Platner or Swalwell.

You can read more about the Katie Hill case here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katie_Hill#Accusations_of_improper_relationships
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2019-10-27/rep-katie-hill-resigns-amid-scandal
https://www.latimes.com/california/newsletter/2025-12-09/essential-california-katie-hill-comeback

[mr715]

114. Rapist, Eric Swalwell.

[W_HAMILTON]

140. Frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for California governor until the credible rape accusations came out.

Swalwell's scandal also begin with sexting...

[Lovie777]

30. Lancaster, CA......................

Her ex-husband spilled it to the media.

[Blue Full Moon]

65. After Trump and Bush Sr.

I will say what I said when they did this crap to Clinton. It's their business and no one else.

[eShirl]

8. what same thing?

[Easterncedar]

10. Same thing as what? Sorry, I truly don't understand

Platner was accused of inappropriate texting with women. Someone is trying to sink his candidacy, although if it's Collins, surely she should have waited to unleash this attack until after the June 9th primary. Anyway, this statement by Platner's wife is supportive.

Katie Hill's story is complicated, and I don't know the details, but I can't find anything really similar to the Platner story, unless you mean her iron cross tattoo?

[Polybius]

31. She never should have resigned

A few nude pics leaked, so what...

[lapucelle]

53. Isn't Platner also accused of gay bashing, rape apology, racism, having a Nazi tat,

voting for Susan Collins three times, sitting out the 2020 and 2024 elections, saying that he was "sent to war" when he willingly enlisted and even served a stint as a mercenary, joking that Mary (mother of Jesus) was, in reality, a "skank", and claiming to have bought his house with a VA loan when his wealthy father lent him the money?

Kinda adds up.

[Polybius]

28. She resigned because her nude pics leaked

They're still out there too (I checked). I guess the internet is truly forever.

[Renew Deal]

2. It's great to see that she is as focused and committed to the issues of everyday people

as he is.

[OAITW r.2.0]

6. Wow....powerful.

Glad you posted this. I voted for Mills, but he got my 2nd choice. I'll be happy to support him and I hope this video gets a lot of attention. She is who we are.

[Quiet Em]

7. I feel for her, I really do

I'm not happy with whoever the people were who recruited, pushed and pursuaded her husband to run for a Senate seat knowing their vulnerabilities and his baggage.

I'm not happy that this couple was clearly not prepared to expect what could be thrown at them.

Maine voters are going to do what they are going to do.

[Irish_Dem]

9. Yep very sloppy recruitment work.

Raises some questions doesn't it.

[Quiet Em]

11. It sure does.

[niyad]

42. It definitely does!

[Irish_Dem]

55. I wonder if anyone has looked at the money trail.

Usually that reveals some information of interest.

[yardwork]

59. The DNC seems to be run by morons.

No analysis of the 2024 defeats. No strategy. Letting our TX senatorial candidate handle the attacks there by himself. No national strategy.

Seems like we are sitting ducks.

[Irish_Dem]

60. Another theory is that it is not being run by morons.

But by people who know exactly what they are doing.

[yardwork]

63. Well that would be really, really bad.

[Irish_Dem]

68. Didn't you make a list of problems that were really bad?

[yardwork]

102. Probably. I don't remember a specific list.

There seems to be a fair amount of bad news lying around.

[EX500rider]

117. His money trail is a little suspect IMO

He a "hard working oyster farmer" who also gets $4800 a month from the VA for 100% disability.
To avoid going over income limits for that, he pays his wife instead of himself for both the campaign work & oyster biz work.

A former Platner campaign aide told the Substack Judge Street Journal that the campaign paid a salary to Platner's wife rather than to Platner himself "for a few reasons": "One, the optics of a candidate drawing a salary from the campaign committee isn't great, though I don't think your family getting paid from the campaign committee is great either," the staffer said in November. "Two, if Graham drew a salary from the campaign, his disability status and his disability payments would be put at risk."

After Platner's wife was put on the campaign payroll, aides struggled to "find things she was comfortable doing," a source close to the campaign told the Washington Free Beacon, describing Platner's wife as a "shy and introverted" person who "wasn't comfortable making calls" or interacting with people.

"She wasn't really doing anything for the campaign," the source said.

[Irish_Dem]

118. Also he comes from a rich family, he is not a poor oyster farmer guy.

I wonder who is donating to his campaign.
And paying his campaign workers.

[Nixie]

130. Wow, every post I see more info about him that is definitely strange. This is very informative, thank you.

[orangecrush]

135. Yes, all the AIPAC money is going to his opponent!

[Irish_Dem]

136. Maybe they don't like sexually acting out male adults.

[orangecrush]

137. They much prefer genocidal old farts like Netanyahu

[Irish_Dem]

138. Maybe we need to stop admiring all these toxic males.

Men who can't keep it in their pants and see women as just sexual objects not humans.

Men who want to kill everyone in sight.

Time to move into the 21st century.

Shame shame shame on this toxic culture.
And those who support it.

[leftstreet]

89. The Dems had 30 yrs to get rid of Collins!

29, almost 30

Just sayin

[LisaL]

90. And apparently he is the best plan we came up with.

Oh boy.

[yardwork]

106. Yeah. This is very worrisome.

We need to clean house at the DNC and build a machine to select and elect strong Democratic candidates.

[Irish_Dem]

112. She is such a superstar, brilliant, coherent, a mover and shaker.

I can see why it is hard to get rid of such superior talent.

[mr715]

115. "A shaker" LOL

[Midwestern Democrat]

120. Well - it's a small state with only two congressional districts - it's not like NY or CA where there's a ton of high

profile Democrats to choose from. In a state like Maine, the pool of potential US Senate candidates is fairly small.

[pinkstarburst]

122. I've been to Maine

I feel like there has to be at least ONE democrat there who isn't a creep with a Nazi tattoo that's cheating on his wife sexting/harassing other women?

I'm sorry, but we have to be honest with ourselves. In the same way that we are looking at Texas and hoping Ken Paxton's crooked cheating scumbag adulterous behavior will result in some voters quietly switching sides, we cannot possible be naive enough to think that a dude who cheats on his wife and has a Nazi tattoo is not going to turn off women and independents and get them to say "Eh, Susan Collins isn't really that bad!"

I mean, we're kind of stuck at this point. But in the long run, we need to run better quality people as candidates.

[lapucelle]

125. There is one who will be on the ballot, and it's ranked choice voting.

Actually both David Costello and Janet Mills will be on the same ballot as Platner. And voters will be ranking their choices first, second, and third.

[msongs]

14. is the guy a ticking time bomb?

[niyad]

45. I hope we are wrong, but it looks that way. So many red flags

for those paying close attention.

[summer_in_TX]

16. I can relate to her a lot.

One major difference I see is that the text issue was something both knew about, and had dealt with. Totally unlike Swawell and Katie Hill. Stawell's behavior was especially appalling.

[ShazzieB]

17. It's a damned shame that she's having to do this.

Politics has gotten uglier than ever lately.
We all know why and we all know who's to blame.

[karynnj]

94. Nothing new. Remember Hillary Clinton defending Bill Clinton

in 1992 on 60 minutes. Although this comes out as authentic, a more succinct statement might be better. Hearing her in the context of remembering Hillary, three things are very similar.

Both.acknowleged the candidate did wrong, put it in the past and argued they had worked through it, and made the point that what the candidate was running to do was what was important. ( Note this is all from memory. Though I could find it, there is something to be said that this was my remembered takeaway.)

One problem Platner has is that in addition to this, he has so many other issues.

[Buddyzbuddy]

18. Swallwell is accused in multiple cases of rape,

Katie Hill had an admitted affair with a staffer not even a year after getting elected. From what I've read, Platner has been accused, (maybe admitted?) of texting, no word of photos so not Weiner level yet.

What I do know is timing is everything, at this point he hasn't been accused or admitted to anything more than bad judgement in his marriage which his wife has accepted as just that and they are working through this.

I posted this info in response to a different post about the same subject matter;

Excerpt from an previous post made by DU member demmiblue,

Earlier this week, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) launched the joint fundraising page, which urged donors to “Contribute to pro-Israel Candidates for U.S. Senate,” displaying Stevens and Collins together with preset donation amounts. The joint fundraiser was “paid for and authorized” by both candidates, according to AIPAC.

The fundraising campaign, which included an email blast, also attacked one of Stevens’s Democratic rivals, Abdul El-Sayed, the race’s most outspoken critic of Israel’s war in Gaza. He also was the only candidate endorsed by Track AIPAC, a grassroots group that documents and opposes the influence of AIPAC and pro-Israel political spending. The fundraiser accused El-Sayed and Graham Platner, the Democrat running against Collins in Maine, of “embracing extreme rhetoric,” pushing “false accusations of genocide,” and supporting cuts to aid for Israel.

“There is a coordinated, well-funded effort to punish anyone who stands with Israel and it’s gaining ground fast,” the email said. “It’s being driven by the far-left fringe of American politics, pushed by Bernie Sanders and amplified by voices like Hasan Piker, who are normalizing hostility toward Israel and turning it into a political weapon.”

https://www.metrotimes.com/news/politics-elections/aipac-pairs-haley-stevens-with-republican-in-joint-senate-fundraiser-attacks-el-sayed/

[questionseverything]

20. It's between him and his wife at this point, du would of run jfk out of office over marilyn

[LisaL]

33. Once it's reported, it's no longer between him and his wife.

NT

[PuraVidaDreamin]

38. And Jimmy Carter for having impure thoughts.

I started seeing another man about a year after my husband got drunk and punched me.
We were trying to work things out but the booze was more important to him.

Life is often messy. If we are lucky we grow up- mature. Work things out.
Become a better person.

[LisaL]

43. My advice, become a better person before you

run for Senate.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

54. Maybe you are a better Senator

Because of life mistakes!

Advice noted tho'

The many opinions of DU is what makes this place hum

[Blue Full Moon]

66. Thinking about that too.

This BS gets old. The republicans and AIPAC are losing and they are mad. Like the lame vegan and Trans? Thing against Telerico.

[mr715]

129. Thank you for a personal story.

Life is complicated.

Politics does not select for shrinking violets. We cannot expect anything out of them aside from policy.

[Katinfl]

56. Swallwell is accused of rape? I thought he is accused of sexual harassment of several women.

[LisaL]

86. Some accusers say he raped them.

NT

[Buddyzbuddy]

98. A staffer accused him of drugging her and raping her at a hotel following a "political" function.

[LisaL]

109. There is another woman accusing him of rape as well.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78rr9r4e5po

[Intractable]

21. I'm reminded of the phrase, "when you're explaining, you're losing."

For better or worse, Platner is the nominee. Let's not give the oppo more research.

I suspect he will be better as Senator than candidate.

[LisaL]

34. He is not the nominee yet.

NT

[niyad]

47. Until June 9, he is the presumptive nominee.

[Irish_Dem]

58. Oppo research had the dirt from the very beginning and has all the details.

Times, places, names.

They will release the info at critical times.

We are quite naive to think otherwise.

[LisaL]

70. Of course.

We haven't seen nothing yet.

[questionseverything]

107. At least he doesn't believe in penning people in behind a wall,

Bombing them , starving them and falsely imprisoning them like a politician who supports Israel would

[lapucelle]

119. Wait...didn't Platner used to say that he went to war "to have an adventure and kill some people"?

before he started saying that Susan Collins (who he voted for three times!) sent him to war?

[...] Collins voted to authorize the Iraq War in October of 2002, so it was well underway in 2004 when Platner chose to enlist in the U.S. Marines with the specific goal of fighting as an infantryman.

Six years ago, Platner wrote about his time in the service in previously unreported, and now-deleted Reddit posts. Platner said he enlisted the U.S. Marine Corps to “have an adventure and kill some people.” He called combat “an excellent experience.”

https://archive.md/WlYTT

[WhiskeyGrinder]

22. there's no foolproof way to respond to a sexting scandal, but sending your wife out to do an unscripted defense by

Last edited Sun May 31, 2026, 09:02 AM - Edit history (1)

herself is uh... certainly a choice

ETA: oh shit, he was on kik? hooooooooooo boy

[LisaL]

36. Seems like a standard playbook for a politician accused of

inappropriate behavior. If the spouse is willing to defend them or stand next to them, of course.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

52. for me, sending the spouse out alone is a weak look

[LisaL]

72. To me as well.

NT

[Quiet Em]

73. It is.

It was cringey when Spitzer did it and it's cringey now.

[yardwork]

57. I expect a barrage of revelations in October.

I have no idea why this guy is the nominee. Out of all the Democrats in Maine.

I'm seriously worried that the Democratic Party seems to have no strategy. Bad time for a complete collapse.

[Irish_Dem]

77. What is KIK????

[WhiskeyGrinder]

97. An EXTREMELY sketchy texting/photo sharing app aimed at tweens and teens

ETA: and to be clear, it's full of other garbage too. When he joined in 2016, it was described as the "problem app of the year" or something along those lines. His account is still active, too.

[Irish_Dem]

111. Oh thank goodness, only about child sexual assault.

Americans are fine with that.
No problem now.

[mainer]

23. Sexting is not the same thing as having an affair

So far, we haven't heard that any of this progressed to actual physical contact.
Heck, even saintly Jimmy Carter admitted to having lust in his heart towards other women.
I don't think this will sink his candidacy. He and his wife dealt with it and they chose to stay married, a decision that was made before he became a candidate.

[LisaL]

26. One could call it an emotional affair.

That is, if it actually hasn't progressed to physical contact.

[Irish_Dem]

79. Absolutely. Like Melania always says "boys will be boys." And locker room behavior is fine.

We need to listen to our illustrious First Lady for guidance.

[LisaL]

83. What else is she going to say with a

husband like hers?

[Midwestern Democrat]

101. I think if Eric Swalwell had done nothing more than sexting, he'd probably be the next Governor of California. NT

[Emile]

24. Thanks for posting the truth.

[LisaL]

25. This guy has so much baggage.

Unfortunate.

[SSJVegeta]

29. Shes a good one. Graham better not fuck up that marriage.

What an incredible woman.

[LisaL]

32. They have only been married since 2023.

He's been sexting with multiple women, from what has been reported.
I'd say the marriage is already fucked up.
From the start.

[SSJVegeta]

35. Theyve been in marriage counseling since the start

So if they are both doing inividual counseling and he stops making bad choices, it is actually far from a destroyed marriage. Being married is hard and the learning curve is fast and unrelenting.

[LisaL]

37. Him staying married or not is not my concern whatsoever.

Him running for office, with all this dirt coming out, and who knows what else is going to come out, is my concern.

[SSJVegeta]

39. None of it is really my concern

I dont even live in Maine

[LisaL]

40. He is running to become a senator.

So it doesn't really matter if we live in Maine, does it? He could very well cost us the Senate. Then it's going to matter a whole lot.

[SSJVegeta]

46. It matters cause I cant vote there.

Sure it impacts us but he is the nominee for US Senate. Whether he costs us the majority at this point is entirely up to Maine.

[LisaL]

48. Whether we can vote in Maine or not, a Senator

is important to all of us.

[SSJVegeta]

62. Indeed sabotaging a race from the outside by poopooing on imperfections

Is a solid way to make things worse for us in other parts of the country.

[LisaL]

69. He has not been nominated yet.

Jeez.

[SSJVegeta]

99. If nobody else is running then he esentially has

The same thing was understood to be the case here with Clinton before she got the nomination eventually as well. He is our candidate until anything changes.

[LisaL]

108. There are other people running.

NT

[SSJVegeta]

110. None of any significance or fanfare. And there is no expectation they will win

[mr715]

126. You really made this crystal clear.

[niyad]

50. Exactly.

[DaBronx]

41. No man is perfect but

When one has so much to deal with, maybe it is not in the best interest of the community to serve. I feel more and more that Maine screwed up big time.

[LisaL]

44. We are all going to be screwed up big time if he costs us the Senate.

I mean, seriously, with all this dirt coming out, what's next?

[Emile]

67. If by chance he loses, I'll blame the attacks

from within our own party.

[LisaL]

74. You do you.

NT

[Emile]

81. and you do you!

[yardwork]

104. Go ahead but I don't think many will agree with you.

[questionseverything]

105. Probably paid AIPAC attacks

[Emile]

121. Of course they are.

[pinkstarburst]

131. I mean, really?

Really?

Dude is sexting other women and cheating on his wife?
He's got a Nazi tattoo?

And if voters in Maine decide, you know, that they are going to go with the incumbent female senator who has served for 30 years and who is not having an affair/sexting scandal or has a Nazi tattoo, you're going to blame "attacks from within our party?"

How about this dude is a trash candidate that is not going to appeal to female voters, and for some reason, the DNC was too lazy to get a better candidate on the ballot?

I'm sorry, but we really shot ourselves in the foot with Platner. He has done this to himself.

[Emile]

132. Yes, really!

[DaBronx]

139. I'll blame those who supported him

[eShirl]

49. Maine screwing up big time would be letting Susan Collins keep her seat.

I want her out.

[LisaL]

51. If our candidate is sexting with mulltipe women, that's

a big help to Susan Collins, as far as I am concerned.

[mr715]

127. I don't care about his personal life.

As long as he fucks Susan Collins


And Maine loves what he is selling, which is why he's up 7-9 points in virtually every survey.

[yorkster]

61. Platner, his wife and some campaign staff

knew all this almost a year ago in August of 2025. And they decided it was a personal matter and wouldn't affect the primary race.
A cynical and/or foolish decision imho.

In any case. the primary is June 9.
David Costello is on the ballot and highly qualified. Janet Mills is still on the ballot.
IT AIN'T OVER. WE HAVE A CHOICE.

[yardwork]

64. Why didn't the DNC know?

Why didn't our party run stronger candidates in this must-win race against a weakened but still formidable Republican?

The implications of this fail on the part of our party are terrifying.

[yorkster]

71. Well, Bernie was his biggest supporter and

Elizabeth Warren held a Portland rally with him in April. DNC reluctantly climbed aboard after Janet Mills suspended her campaign.

[Irish_Dem]

75. Questionable judgement all the way around.

The only one who did the right thing is the wife.
Turned the info over to the campaign early on.
And got her husband into counseling to examine the error of his ways.

[LisaL]

76. Susan Collins is going to have a field day with it, when the time comes.

NT

[dlk]

78. What a humiliating thing for a wife to go through

It’s not the least bit fair. I’m not sure the video was such a good idea. It will have the Republican jackals salivating.

Does Graham Platner have any legislative experience? The senate seems a lofty start for an entry level politician.

Collins is well-funded and well-armed. However, as long as she has been in Washington, I can’t imagine there isn’t significant oppo research out there to be used against her.

[LisaL]

80. Hey, maybe she drunk coffee instead of milk one night.

You never know.

[dlk]

100. She should have had better guidance

It’s bad enough having a husband who cheats. I can’t imagine having it broadcast across the national news media.

[Bobstandard]

82. As long as he wins and votes D I don't care

Collins has to go.

Every major figure in the Trump administration has done worse while in office. I’ll take a flawed Democrat over them any day.

[LisaL]

84. He has to win first.

With all this dirt coming out, is that going to happen?

[Emile]

87. Now that Mills dropped completely out, who

do you support?

[lapucelle]

92. Mills did not "completely drop out". She suspended her campaign and is still on the ballot,

as is Democrat David Costello. Voters will rank their choices on June 9.

Why Gov. Mills is on the ballot despite US Senate campaign suspension

Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign for U.S. Senate in April, citing a lack of funds. However, you can still mark her down on your ballot in June.

https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/vote/governor-janet-mills-ballot-us-senate-campaign-suspension-maine-election/97-eac69dc0-6435-4531-b566-7a7d0eb1b7a0

[Emile]

123. She completely dropped out last Thursday.

Last edited Sun May 31, 2026, 04:51 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/maine-gov-janet-mills-drops-out-of-race-to-unseat-republican-sen-susan-collins/ar-AA225OOR

[yorkster]

93. Janet Mills suspended campaign, but she

is still on the ballot. David Costello is also on the ballot. They both are highly qualified ..

(Sorry to jump in - just wanted to clarify that Mills suspended, not ended her campaign. )

[Emile]

124. She dropped out completely last Thursday.

Last edited Sun May 31, 2026, 05:49 PM - Edit history (1)

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/maine-gov-janet-mills-drops-out-of-race-to-unseat-republican-sen-susan-collins/ar-AA225OOR

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/news-wrap-gov-janet-mills-drops-out-of-u-s-senate-race-in-maine

[yorkster]

128. Your citation quotes Mills near the end of the article

using the word suspend. And the dateline of the WP article in your link is "1mo", ie 1 month ago. She suspended on April 30 and
I haven't been able to find anything recent that states unequivocally that she is out.
There was discussion at the time of her saying "suspending" instead of "ending", and what if anything that might portend.

I may have missed a recent more definitive
statement. Just saying I couldn't find it.

If things proceed apace and if Platner is the nominee, I'll vote for him. The primary is June 9.

[Bobstandard]

91. No. The candidate with the actual awful voting record will.

Democrats have shown again and again that they’ll take the high road even if that leads over a cliff. Republicans would laugh this off and focus on the win. They’ve laughed off worse and here we are.

[Irish_Dem]

85. Maybe she should run for office.

[ZDU]

88. Strength and Courage

Powerful

[luv2fly]

95. Great post, thank you for sharing.

Added bonus, my ignore list just grew a bit as well.

[eShirl]

116. same

[Miami Blue]

96. Hey despicable MAGA-NAZIS from Maine,

So, you're fine with having an immoral rapist as your PedoPrez in the White House and the obviously incapacitated “Shaky” Susan Collins representing Maine in the US Senate.

Btw, Mrs. Platner, there is no need for you
to apologize to Mainers for your husband’s immature indiscretions.

I personally don’t give a F about Graham Platner’s small flaws.

Especially when politicians like the Felon/ Rapist / PedoTraitorTrump and the CorruptSusanCollins
have decided to sabotage our democracy's guardrails for decades and recently even more.

So, Mrs. Platner for the love of Christ please
Stop it. In other words, STFU 🤬.

Democrats must defeat the unethical Susan Collins, an immoral person who is infamous
for being a crooked politician. And whose personal financial portfolio has been aligned with the financial interests of corporate backers. And particularly with countless interest groups on Wall Street.
CorruptSusanCollins has been a U.S. senator
for more than 30 years, but she has done ShiT
to help the constituency that elected her.

Moreover, because of Susan Collins's inability to
support the good people of Maine, they are currently suffering from the closing of several rural hospitals.
Consequently, in recent years more than 600 additional farmers in Maine have lost their livelihoods.
Meanwhile, CorruptSusanCollins has become
richer than ever. 🖕🏻

Cha-Ching 🤑
Cha-Ching 🤑
Cha-Ching 🤑

[aeromanKC]

103. The story here is Fuck Susan Collins and her enabling Trump and MAGA and how to get rid of her.

If the choices are Susan Collins and Platner there is only one choice!! Fuck Susan Collins!!!

[Miami Blue]

113. That's right aero, Fuck Susan Collins and

Fuck PedoTraitorTrump as well.

[MorbidButterflyTat]

133. Kinda tacky, introducing her like that

Looks like she's pressured.

Unfortunately her future is probably tied up to his, especially financially.

[orangecrush]

134. K&R