WASHINGTON

By JESSE BEDAYN and KIMBERLEE KRUESIAssociated Press

Graham Platner’s wife has responded to reports about his alleged sexually explicit texts with several women. This controversy adds to Platner’s campaign challenges as he seeks the Democratic nomination in Maine to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins. On Saturday night, Platner posted a video of his wife, Amy Gertner, on X. In it, she called the coverage “gossip” and said that “no marriage is perfect.” The Wall Street Journal first reported the texts, noting Gertner informed the campaign in August. Campaign staff at the time decided the texts were private and being managed by the couple.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Graham Platner’s wife publicly responded over the weekend to reports that she had informed his U.S. Senate campaign that the candidate had previously exchanged sexually explicit text messages with several women.

It's the latest controversy in Platner's whirlwind campaign to win the Democratic nomination in Maine and then face Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November in one of a few races that Democrats consider critical as they try to take control of the Senate.

Platner posted a video taken by his wife, Amy Gertner, Saturday night on X. In it, she avoided speaking directly about her husband's reported texts, dubbing the broader coverage as “gossip" and saying that “being married is hard.”

“I find it really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets and people who are willing to spread gossip,” she said in the informal, selfie-style video where she paced along a road. "No marriage is perfect, and I don't want a perfect marriage, I want my marriage."

The texts were first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which wrote that Gertner had told the campaign in August about the texts she had found on Platner's phone earlier in their marriage. She wanted to ensure they didn't pose a political liability to the novice candidate. Aides eventually decided that the texts were private and being handled by the couple, who were married in 2023.

“Our marriage counselor helps, my personal counselor helps, Graham’s personal counselor," Gertner said in the video posted Saturday. “Graham and I have a great marriage.”

It's not the first controversy for Platner, an oyster farmer and combat veteran. The candidate had a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol, which he said he didn't know until he was several weeks into the campaign. There's also been scrutiny of now-deleted posts he made on Reddit which were dismissive of military sexual assaults and used homophobic slurs.

Platner's campaign weathered those revelations in the Democratic primary against the state's Gov. Janet Mills, who was forced to abandon her bid and leave Platner to be the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Platner's campaign did not immediately respond to a call and text seeking comment.