Morris Katz Demands Retraction of Platner Sexting Leak as Maine Senate Race Tightens to 4 Points
Updated
Updated · New York Magazine · Jun 4
Morris Katz Demands Retraction of Platner Sexting Leak as Maine Senate Race Tightens to 4 Points
2 articles · Updated · New York Magazine · Jun 4
Summary
Morris Katz, a top adviser to Democrat Graham Platner, pressed former staffer Genevieve McDonald to retract comments to The Wall Street Journal and send him a recording of the call, according to McDonald and a Bangor Daily News report.
The demand came as Platner’s campaign tried to contain reports that he sexted multiple women after marrying Amy Gertner, a scandal now compounded by allegations of campaign bullying and a New York Times report on his “unsettling” behavior with women he dated.
McDonald, who left after earlier controversy over Platner’s racist and misogynistic Reddit posts, said she pushed the sexting story because she viewed him as a weak general-election candidate against Republican Senator Susan Collins.
The fallout is hitting a race central to Democrats’ Senate hopes: betting markets have dropped, and a campaign-released internal poll this week showed Platner leading Collins by just 4 points.
Can a candidate's secret scandal be exploited for profit on political betting markets before the news is public?
When a candidate claims redemption for past mistakes, how should voters weigh new revelations about their private life?
How does an aide's crisis response risk becoming a bigger scandal than the original problem itself?
Scandal Erupts in Maine: Graham Platner’s Sexting Allegations Shake Up Senate Race Against Susan Collins
Overview
In late May 2026, Graham Platner’s campaign for the U.S. Senate in Maine was shaken by reports that his wife, Amy Gertner, had acknowledged he sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women during their marriage. Further revelations included evidence of Platner’s active Kik account with a profile photo matching his tattoos. These scandals broke just as Platner was gaining momentum, especially among female voters. In response, his campaign quickly adopted an aggressive defense strategy, aiming to maintain support and control the narrative at a critical moment in the race.