Platner Bails on MS NOW Interview

The MS NOW host says Graham Platner pulled out of a scheduled interview appearance in the wake of his scandal — and she says she feels deep unease about it, according to Fox News reporting.

No explanation was given by the campaign. A candidate is dodging a women's organization after a sexting scandal involving multiple women.

His public image as a champion for women's issues stands in stark contrast to his actions.

The Kik Account Is Still Active

The Wall Street Journal first reported a Kik account bearing a profile picture that appears to show Platner semi-nude, with tattoos matching his own, and a username he has used in other contexts.

According to Fox News, that account remains active as of now.

Kik has been repeatedly flagged by child safety advocates as a platform predators use to target minors. The app has faced federal scrutiny and has been dubbed a "predator's paradise" by safety groups. Platner is a married man. He has NOT addressed why the account exists or why it is still live.

15 Scandals and Counting

Breitbart's John Nolte put together a full accounting. As of this week, Platner's documented scandal list stands at 15 separate items:

• Wore a Nazi SS Death's Head (Totenkopf) tattoo for 18 years — only covered it up in October 2025, after it became a political problem
• Active Kik account while married
• Explicit sexts with multiple women in 2023, also while married
• Told a former campaign aide he sexted up to a dozen women (his campaign says it was six)
• Described all Black people as a population that doesn't tip
• Told women to "act like an adult" to avoid rape
• Called rural Maine voters racist
• Made anti-gay posts on Reddit
• Promoted an alleged Holocaust denier on social media
• Bragged about masturbating in public porta-potties
• Mocked a Purple Heart recipient as a "dumb motherf*er [who] didn't deserve to live"
• Encouraged military contractors to "bang hookers in Thailand"
• Called the Virgin Mary a "skank"
• DUI
• Appeared on the podcast of a host who claims Jewish people killed JFK

Most of these were reported first by the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and the Associated Press.

Booker Breaks Ranks

Senator Cory Booker publicly stated that Platner "has questions to answer" following the latest wave of scandals, according to Fox News.

Democrats have largely shielded Platner from criticism. When one of the party's most prominent voices breaks from the script, it suggests a shift in how the party views the candidate.

What His Campaign Is Actually Saying

Platner told reporters Sunday, according to WBUR: "I'm confirming that what Genevieve McDonald said in The New York Times is not true."

He refused to specify what part wasn't true. He did NOT say the texts don't exist. His campaign confirmed the authenticity of messages between his wife Amy Gertner and former aide Genevieve McDonald, but parsed the number — six women, not twelve.

McDonald told the Associated Press that Platner was "sexting multiple women while married" and that the campaign tried to assess it as an election vulnerability. Amy Gertner herself reportedly went to campaign staff in August 2025 — shortly after Platner announced his Senate bid — to flag the texts as a potential liability, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The campaign's response? Call it a private marital matter. Press forward to a Bernie Sanders rally.

What NPR Is Missing

NPR's Newsmakers sat down with Platner before the sexting story broke — and the resulting episode frames the big question as whether voters will extend him "forgiveness." NPR lets Platner lecture about masculinity: "This idea that you're supposed to use your strengths to use power over other people... that's the act of a coward."

This is the same man with an active account on a predator-linked app.

NPR's framing treats this as a political survival question — can his "anti-establishment message" carry him through? The focus is on electoral math rather than character.

The Bigger Picture the Media Is Skipping

This race matters beyond Maine's borders. Democrats need to flip the Senate, and Platner is their best shot at unseating Susan Collins, who has held that seat for nearly 30 years.

Governor Janet Mills — a credible, scandal-free candidate — was effectively pushed out of the race as Democrats rallied around Platner.

Republicans claim, according to Breitbart, that the opposition research they haven't released yet is worse than everything already public. Nobody has verified that claim. But given that 15 confirmed scandals exist, the possibility cannot be dismissed.

The June 9 Maine primary is days away. If Platner wins the nomination and then more shoes drop, Democrats face the prospect of replacing their own nominee — the second time in two years they'd be substituting out a candidate the voters actually chose.