politics
Senator Booker expresses concerns about Maine Senate candidate Platner
Sen. Cory Booker said Sunday that recent reports about Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner raise questions about the candidate's viability. The comments follow confirmation of explicit text messages involving Platner and renewed attention to prior controversies.
May 31, 5:13 PM·2m read1 source
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Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) said Sunday he has concerns about Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner undermining Democrats' chances to defeat incumbent Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in the midterm elections. " "Yeah, I have concerns," Booker said. " Platner's campaign confirmed reports Saturday that his wife, Amy Gertner, had found "sexually explicit texts with several women" on his phone late last summer.
The Washington Examiner independently confirmed Saturday night that an account on Kik, a social messaging platform, belongs to Platner.
Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) also commented on Platner's most recent controversy on Sunday, though neither expressed overt concern like Booker. Murphy said Platner has "made mistakes" but defended his character. " Gertner said in a statement released Saturday night that she remains loyal to Platner and that the couple has been receiving marriage counseling.
She also said she was "really angry" about the report surfacing. A Maine statute allows Platner to withdraw from the general election before July 13 and subsequently be replaced by the Democratic Party even if he wins the primary on June 9. The party would have to nominate his replacement by July 27.
A University of New Hampshire poll released Thursday shows Platner with a 9 percentage-point lead over Collins.
