Senator Cory Booker voiced "concerns" about Graham Platner's Senate candidacy in Maine, following reports that Platner exchanged sexual messages with women outside his marriage. His wife had apparently alerted the campaign to this behavior last summer, according to a former campaign official. The revelations threaten a potentially critical seat in the battle for Senate control.

The New Jersey Democrat emphasized that "so much is riding on Democrats' taking control of the Senate," suggesting the country needs a check on an "out-of-control president." Platner, a combat veteran with a fiery progressive campaign, is trying to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins in a state Trump lost by about seven percentage points in 2024.

Senate Democrats reacted differently to the situation. While Booker expressed unease, Senator Chris Murphy defended Platner as someone who "put his life on the line for this country." The campaign acknowledged Platner communicated with up to six women but claimed the conduct stopped before the campaign launched, as his wife Amy Gertner denounced "negative stories" and affirmed their marriage remains strong.