Questions about a Democrat’s character amid a sexting scandal found an incumbent senator resorting to Trump Derangement Syndrome-spin to claim a “pretty clear contrast.”
Over the weekend, a new scandal rocked the primary campaign of Senate hopeful Graham Platner in Maine. Having already had to defend a since-covered tattoo he denies featured a Nazi symbol, Platner’s play at victimhood over reports of sexting and more was bolstered by Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy (D), who pivoted to accuse President Donald Trump of “literally empowering the moral hollowing-out of our nation.”
Appearing on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” Sunday, host Margaret Brennan introduced the topic, saying, “To that point about spirit and character, the campaign for Graham Platner confirmed to CBS on Saturday that the Maine Senate candidate had sent sexually explicit texts to women other than his wife. This is in addition to other past controversies. Does he pass the character test?”
After positioning himself as lacking familiarity with the story, the senator argued, “Character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country. And this race is gonna be a contrast between somebody that has put his life on the line for this country against somebody who is literally empowering the moral hollowing-out of our nation from the White House.”
When asked whether Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner passes the “character test,” after CBS confirmed reporting that Platner’s wife told his campaign about sexually explicit texts he sent to other women, Sen Chris Murphy (D-CT) says Platner has lived a life of… pic.twitter.com/coKBizY1aD
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) May 31, 2026
“So he’s certainly admitted he has made mistakes. But I think this is gonna be a pretty clear contrast in Maine between somebody who has spent his life protecting us versus somebody who seems to be protecting Donald Trump’s corruption,” said Murphy in juxtaposing Platner with incumbent Maine Sen. Susan Collins (R) ahead of the state’s primary elections on June 9.
This response came after first asserting, “Yeah, I mean, I have not followed this story as closely as others have. But I mean, Graham Platner is somebody that served our country, he’s served his community. He’s also made mistakes, and he’s admitted that.”
Murphy’s stance came as Platner and his wife, Amy Gertner, spent the weekend doing damage control over the reporting of the scandal. Both appeared in an interview with WMTV, where the candidate said, “It’s no surprise to me that the establishment media outlets are just gonna run gossip instead of wanting to talk about the things that actually matter in this race, which are the material realities that the Mainers are working with.”
“These people are gonna try to make this race about anything but what it’s supposed to be about, which is policy. They never want to talk about policy. Amy and I have a very loving and very happy marriage. They would very much like to try to rip that apart,” he went on.
The statements followed a report from the Wall Street Journal that cited an anonymous source that claimed Gertner “told the campaign about (sexually explicit) messages she had found early in their marriage in the spring of 2025,” after the couple tied the knot in 2023. “In late August, as some aides were conducting opposition research on their own candidate, Gertner disclosed the texts to a campaign aide to make sure they didn’t pose a risk to her husband’s nascent campaign.”
Likewise, the New York Times cited the campaign’s former political director and former state lawmaker Genevieve McDonald on that front, as she claimed the candidate sexted with at least a dozen different women outside of his marriage. This led Platner to state, when asked if he was confirming “messages did not exist”: “I’m confirming that what Genevieve McDonald said in the New York Times is not true.”
Gertner issued her own statement on social media, accusing corporate media and bad actors of being “willing to spread gossip instead of talking about real issues,” as she lamented that “Being married is hard. Being newly married is hard.”
Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner’s wife says it is shameful that the media is sharing “gossip” that she first brought to light.
The statement from Amy Gertner comes after the New York Times reported that she flagged s*xually explicit texts to his campaign.
“Graham and I… pic.twitter.com/NskOCYh4XA
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) May 31, 2026
Meanwhile, The Daily Wire’s Washington, D.C. Bureau Chief Tim Rice added a new dimension to the scandal when he shared a screenshot said to be taken from Platner’s profile on the messaging app Kik featuring “a photo of him topless in a towel,” emphasizing, “Platner joined Kik four months *after* the New York Times published an expose on the app’s popularity among sexual predators, who used Kik to distribute child pornography and facilitate abuse, kidnapping, and murder.”
Platner joined Kik four months *after* the New York Times published an expose on the app’s popularity among sexual predators, who used Kik to distribute child pornography and facilitate abuse, kidnapping, and murder. pic.twitter.com/Zx0HqbV7n2
— Tim Rice (@TimRiceDC) May 30, 2026
As for Murphy’s defense of the candidate, social media users found their own contrast in how Democrats bend over backward to protect their own when it is politically prudent.
The senator from my state has lost all credibility. He is a Democrat shill. He once displayed some independence but those days are long gone. He sold out to power and money. Like they all do. And shave next time. He looked stupid.
— SamWiseGamgee (@BagEndtheShire) May 31, 2026
Democrat scoundrel: He made mistakes but he’s apologized and changed his ways.
Republican: He is an irredeemable fascist enemy of the state FOREVER!
— Fat Frog in the Fescue (@McFestive_Frost) May 31, 2026
So @ChrisMurphyCT is a Nazi sympathizer. Interesting. He also stood for a King and cheered. I love hypocrisy.
— Periit Vir (@Periit_Vir) June 1, 2026
So Senator Murphy (D) gets away with not answering the question and veering into “Muh Trump”. Too bad your “reporter” did not press the issue and make him actually answer the question.
— jtareb (@Racoon1960) May 31, 2026
No! Platner does not pass the character test and should not be a candidate. It is not right for the Democrats to protect him. They would not do this if Platner were a Republican.
— Andrea (@impishhern5) June 1, 2026
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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