Sanders backs Platner as Maine Democrats weigh scandal fallout

Bernie Sanders is backing Graham Platner even as the Maine Democrat’s Senate campaign is shadowed by new allegations about “toxic” relationships, sexually explicit messages and deleted online posts that stretch back more than a decade. The decision has turned Platner into a test case for how far progressive leaders will go to protect an ideological ally when the accusations are personal, messy and politically costly.

The latest turmoil deepened after The New York Times reported on June 4, 2026, that several women who dated Platner described behavior they found intimidating or disturbing. CNN said the report included allegations of unsettling conduct and, in at least one case, physically threatening behavior. Platner denied claims of physical violence, calling them “simply not true,” and said some of the criticism was politically motivated or being weaponized.

The controversy widened further when reporting showed that Amy Gertner, Platner’s wife, told his campaign in 2025 about sexually explicit texts he had sent to other women. CBS News reported that Gertner has been married to Platner since November 2023. Those revelations added a personal layer to a campaign already struggling to contain a stream of damaging disclosures less than a week before Maine Democrats vote in their June 10 primary.

Platner, a military veteran and oyster farmer who surged as a progressive insurgent, remained the likely winner of the nomination despite the scandals. That reality has left Maine Democrats weighing whether to reward a candidate with broad populist appeal while overlooking conduct that some allies privately view as disqualifying. It also raises a broader question for the left: whether accountability standards shift when the accused shares the movement’s politics.

The split was visible in the reaction from national progressives. Ro Khanna of California said Platner should apologize to the women who made the allegations, while also arguing that he deserves redemption. Sanders, meanwhile, has continued to stand by Platner, signaling that the campaign’s political value still outweighs the reputational damage for some of its most prominent backers.

The episode comes on top of earlier reporting that Platner had deleted online posts dating to 2010, including remarks calling himself a communist and suggesting political resistance might involve firearms. For Democrats in Maine and beyond, the accumulating disclosures have turned one Senate primary into a larger referendum on discipline, loyalty and whether the party’s progressive wing can police its own when the stakes are highest.