Graham Platner, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Maine, faced a challenging moment last summer. Revelations surfaced about him exchanging sexual messages with multiple women, shared by his wife, Amy Gertner, with the campaign team. This concern arose just as Platner’s campaign against Senator Susan Collins, a Republican, gathered momentum.

The information about Mr. Platner’s interactions with women came from current and former campaign officials who confirmed his exchanges. Different accounts emerged regarding specific details, but the concern was significant. Ms. Gertner explained that she and Mr. Platner, who married in November 2023 as per the Sullivan, Maine town clerk, were in marriage counseling to address this issue.

Genevieve McDonald, a former state legislator and the campaign’s political director until October, noted that Ms. Gertner reached out with concerns shortly before a crucial Labor Day rally featuring Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. Ms. McDonald stated that Ms. Gertner mentioned her husband had sent messages to as many as a dozen women.