ME-SEN: The wheels started coming off the Platner campaign last week.

[RandySF]

“Late last week, the rumors reached a fever pitch. Graham Platner, the Marine Corps veteran and oysterman who mounted a quixotic bid for the U.S. Senate in Maine, was used to controversy—headlines had been bad enough already, and his campaign aides spent much of their time dealing with lurid rumors. That there was a sex tape on the verge of leaking. That notes from his therapist were floating around,” Vanity Fair reports.

“On Friday, as fresh rumors of serious misconduct began to swirl, Morris Katz, one of Platner’s top strategists, took the first step toward ending the turbulent campaign. Fearing the worst, he contacted several pollsters to commission surveys for alternative candidates. Platner’s advisers, meanwhile, questioned the candidate directly on what they were hearing.

Said one: “We continued to ask Graham for the billionth time in this race if there was any information he had not shared. He continued to say no.”





https://politicalwire.com/2026/07/09/inside-the-graham-platner-campaign-collapse/

[leftstreet]

1. It's oddly depressing that he wasn't trying to hide it

It really looks as if he has no clue about the nature of consent and/or compliance

It's not like he tried to pay her off or silence her from the start, which would have been enough of a scandal. But it appears he really didn't think he'd done anything wrong. Zero understanding of accountability. Blindly act on the world, then see if anyone tells you you've f'cked up

Ugh

[LisaL]

8. Well he certainly was denying it.

NT

[QueerDuck]

2. The poor judgement shown in this campaign is a strong indication of the poor judgement...

... he would have shown had he been (damned) lucky enough to defeat Collins. He'd be a political liability.

[bucolic_frolic]

3. sex tape and note from therapist

unclear how the latter floats around in the age of HIPAA, but I guess at that level of power all bets are off.

Seems Dems really did escape a lot here.

[WhiskeyGrinder]

4. a patient can release their own therapy notes

[LisaL]

5. Yes, it could be the notes from the ex-girlfriend's therapy sessions.

There is nothing to prevent a patient from releasing their therapy notes.

[EdmondDantes_]

7. The article said the rumor was his therapy notes

I doubt he would release them. And hopefully his therapist wouldn't and has good enough security that it wouldn't be stolen.

[LisaL]

9. If it his therapist,

then it would be a HIPAA violation if it was without his perrmission.

[EdmondDantes_]

6. To be fair those were rumors and haven't shown up

The Internet is full of people who say things that aren't true. Could be that either eventually surface, but until then or confirmed reporting it's best treated as unverified Internet gossip.