Bernie Sanders stands by Graham Platner after controversy over sexually explicit texts
Reports about Platner’s past text messages prompted questions of his supporters and a video response from his wife.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYCredibility rates Wgme, where this article appeared. The other scores rate the article itself.
WGME is a local news publisher, and this article transparently credits the Associated Press and uses its byline. The AP attribution supports confidence in the reporting, though the page is reproduced rather than original WGME reporting.
- Source type — Established local news publisher; the article is explicitly attributed to the Associated Press.
- Author attribution — Names two Associated Press reporters.
- Transparency — The AP dateline and attribution make the reporting source clear.
The report attributes Sanders’s remarks and includes reactions from Platner’s wife and Schiff, with some campaign context. It offers limited detail about the underlying messages and few independent perspectives on the controversy.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article reports the allegations, the wife’s response, Sanders’s support, and Schiff’s uncertainty. It provides little detail from the women involved or other perspectives on the reported messages.
- Source diversity — Several political and campaign-related voices appear, but the women involved in the reported exchanges do not.
- Counterarguments presented — The article includes the wife’s defense of the coverage and a senator who declined to comment pending more information.
- Omitted context — The article gives little detail about the messages or the underlying reporting.
The report uses straightforward language and attributes the key statements to the people who made them. It presents the controversy and Sanders’s support without an evident partisan framing.
- Language tone — Mostly neutral wording describes the messages and the responses.
- Source selection — Includes statements from Sanders, Platner’s wife, and Schiff.
- Framing — Centers Sanders’s public support and also reports the controversy behind the questions.
Original publisher not identified
This article credits another publisher, which ChamberLight has not identified, so the scores are Wgme's own.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said he continues to support Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner after reports that Platner exchanged sexually explicit texts with women while married. Platner’s wife called the coverage “gossip,” while Sanders urged attention to economic issues.
Sanders told The Associated Press that he still supports Platner, a Democrat seeking his party’s nomination for the Senate seat held by Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Sanders said people should focus on issues facing working families and confirmed he planned to meet with Platner in Washington.
Platner posted a video in which his wife, Amy Gertner, criticized coverage of the text messages. Other senators who had supported Platner were asked about the controversy; Adam Schiff said he needed to learn more before commenting. Platner was also scheduled to attend a fundraiser and a get-out-the-vote rally.
Community verdict
10 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Maine Senate candidate at the center of reports about sexually explicit texts
Senator who publicly reaffirmed his support for Graham Platner
Sanders's version of this story ↗Republican senator whose seat Platner hopes to win
Former president, mentioned as the administration Klain served
Senator who said he needed more information before commenting
Former chief of staff to President Joe Biden and co-host of a fundraiser
Maine governor and Platner’s former rival for the Democratic nomination
Representative scheduled to appear at a get-out-the-vote rally with Platner
Part of a bigger story
62 OUTLETSOutlets report that Graham Platner exchanged sexually explicit texts with other women during his marriage, bringing renewed scrutiny to his Maine Senate campaign. Left-leaning outlets frame the messages and Platner’s response as bearing on his judgment in the race. Center outlets track the reports alongside his wife’s response and Democrats’ reactions, with attention to electoral stakes. Right-leaning outlets often stress possible political damage and the implications of Democrats continuing to back him.
- ARTICLES
- 104
- OUTLETS
- 62
- AVG CRED
- 65
Discussion · 0
Loading comments…







