This story will be updated.
Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner’s campaign reported a fundraising surge since weekend stories revealed he had sent sexually explicit text messages to women early in his marriage, according to a campaign memo released Tuesday.
The memo said fundraising since Saturday was 17% higher than the previous four-day period. Small-dollar donations from Mainers jumped 27% compared with the prior week, it said. Platner’s campaign pointed to a survey showing him leading Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
The memo was released the day after Platner met Tuesday with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic senators in Washington, seeking to shore up support ahead of the June 9 primary. Platner ended the trip early to return to Maine, citing a media swarm around his home in Sullivan.
The campaign has faced a new wave of scrutiny since The Wall Street Journal and New York Times reported Saturday on the messages discovered by Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, in the months following their 2024 marriage. The Bangor Daily News reported that the candidate’s political adviser warned a former aide against cooperating with the news outlets.
