Supporters say they appreciate Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner's honesty amid scandal

(6 Jun 2026) RESTRICTION SUMMARY: ++EDIT BEGINS ON SOUNDBITE++ ASSOCIATED PRESS Bar Harbor, Maine - 5 June 2026 1. SOUNDBITE (English) Janice Lowe, Graham Platner supporter: "So I've not read the Times article, but I've talked to people who have, and at length. And so again, not reading it, I can't comment that much. But I -- I do not know them personally. I have only heard about that article, and I've only heard about Graham's response tonight, and what (Democratic Rep. from California) Ro Khanna said. I've heard also from people that, Graham and his wife have said that they have been in therapy, they've done different things and that she has said that their marriage is stronger than ever. And so I really appreciate that they have addressed it. I feel bad that they did so much in the public eye. I also believe for whatever reasons, kind of like what Galen (partner) said, people make mistakes, whether you want to call that a mistake, whatever the cause was. People do go through things." 2. STILL, Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, acknowledges applause at a campaign event Friday, June 5, 2026, in Bar Harbor, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty; ID 26157011357992) 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Janice Lowe, Graham Platner supporter: "Again, he talked about PTSD tonight. And PTSD, my knowledge, I am ill -- I'm sorry -- a trauma therapist and I'm little bit familiar with that. That's my specialty. And -- and when people are experiencing that or have the after effects of that, they're not themselves in many ways and it's not to excuse any of the things that has done. But I was not hearing excuses tonight at all." 4. STILL, Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks at a campaign event Friday, June 5, 2026, in Bar Harbor, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty; ID 26157015320505) 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Galen Lowe, Graham Platner supporter: "I think Graham Platner is an amazing brave man. I think he's been through a lot. I think has found flaws in himself that he's willing to recognize. How many times do we hear something like this? And the only response is, 'that's a lie. That's fake news.' It's refreshing to have someone actually own up to stuff that they've done and say, 'yeah, that wasn't such a great idea. I'm working to be a better person.' Why? Because that's what we all need to do. We all have flaws. It's not a perfect world. We need to recognize and such. Be forgiving and being able to -- and be really look at what somebody can do and not what they've done." 6. STILL, Stickers for Graham Platner, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, are displayed at campaign event Friday, June 5, 2026, in Bar Harbor, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty; ID 26156832605362) STORYLINE: Graham Platner, the insurgent Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Maine, defiantly declared Friday that voters would stand by him despite a steady drumbeat of reports about his history with women. Speaking to a crowd of hundreds in a costal resort town, with Tuesday's primary around the corner, the first-time candidate pitched himself as a man with an imperfect past who remains Democrats' best chance to oust Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. Galen Lowe of Bar Harbor said he believed that Platner was leveling with voters about his past. “It’s refreshing to have someone actually own up to stuff that they’ve done and say, yeah, that wasn’t such a great idea. I’m working to be a better person," he said. Last weekend, his campaign wrestled with stories about sexually explicit messages that Platner sent to several women while he was married. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...