WASHINGTON — Graham Platner visited Capitol Hill on Tuesday to meet with Democrats amid fresh controversy.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.So far, no senator has reneged on their support for him after reports emerged over the weekend that Platner’s wife privately alerted a campaign official that he sent sexually explicit text messages to other women early in their marriage.A source with knowledge of the meetings said they had been “on the books for a while” and were unrelated to the recent stories.Speaking to reporters Tuesday afternoon, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he met with Platner.He reiterated that he has endorsed Platner but dodged questions about whether the revelations concern him and whether he’s satisfied with his explanations.“I endorsed Graham Platner,” Schumer said.
“We’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate.”Platner is the presumptive nominee to take on Republican Sen.Susan Collins in the pivotal 2026 race; Schumer initially backed Gov.
Janet Mills in the primary and threw his support to Platner only after she dropped out.A person familiar with the meeting told NBC News the meeting between Platner and Schumer was “productive” and reiterated that Democrats are “ready to take on Susan Collins” this fall.Democrats standing by Platner include Sen.
Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who said the sexts won’t decide the race.“The drip, drip that’s actually happening is Americans are really, really hurt by the fact that gas is still high.Food is still high.
They can’t buy a home.You can’t afford rent,” Gallego told reporters.
“They’re not going to care about text messages and everything else like that that happened years ago, especially when it was worked out between spouses.”Later in the afternoon, Platner met with several senators at the headquarters of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.Among thos...