Maine Democratic Senate candidate's old social media posts about sexual acts in portable toilets surface
Graham Platner, a Democratic candidate challenging Senator Susan Collins in Maine, made sexually explicit posts on social media between 2017 and 2021 describing masturbation in portable toilets and commenting on penis graffiti he encountered during military deployments. The posts, made under the username "P-Hustle," have resurfaced ahead of the election. Platner's campaign did not immediately respond for comment, and Republican groups called the posts disturbing.
8
Divergence score
15 outlets covered it, splitting into 15 framing camps across 3 bias groups.
15 camps
3 bias groups
The spectrum · how 15 outlets placed this story
LeftCenterRight
Daily Wire
NY Post
Breitbart
Washington Examiner
The Hill
Washington Times
CNN
Axios
NBC News
HuffPost
New York Times
Politico
Washington Post
ABC News
Bloomberg
Supportive of action
Neutral
Dismissive
Critical
Alarmist
International angle
The split, in one line
Coverage fractures between Platner's primary survival (Politico on cleared path) and general election jeopardy (WaPo on vulnerabilities), as Democrats debate whether nominating a candidate with inflammatory past and explicit texts mirrors Republican tolerance for chaos, Bloomberg treats the primary win as accomplished fact while noting the campaign's divisive character.
How each outlet covered it
Broad agreement on what happened
Outlets across the spectrum land in roughly the same place: the shared language is highlighted.
THE LEFT
“Maine primary results: Platner will win Democratic Senate race, ABC News projects”ABC ABC News LEFT-CENTER
8LOW DIVERGENCE
THE RIGHT
“'Deeply Disturbing': Dem Candidate's Sexually Explicit Porta Potty Posts Resurface”DW Daily Wire RIGHT
DOWN THE MIDDLE
“Graham Platner Wins Democratic Senate Primary in Maine” · The Hill, Axios, Politico, Bloomberg
+Hide the full sourcingSee how all 15 outlets put it
LEFT4
CNNCNN Graham Platner’s extramarital sexting further complicates Democratic hopes of winning back Senate 34d ago HPHuffPost Graham Platner Bizarrely Accuses NYT Of 'Malpractice' And The Newspaper Fires Back 33d ago TNew York Times Several Women Who Dated Graham Platner Recall ‘Unsettling’ Behavior 30d ago WPWashington Post Graham Platner withstood a string of controversies. Here’s how they unfolded. 25d ago LEFT-CENTER2
NBCNBC News Democratic Senate candidate faces new scandal 32d ago ABCABC News Maine primary results: Platner will win Democratic Senate race, ABC News projects 24d ago CENTER4
HThe Hill House Democrat: Platner’s tattoo should be ‘disqualifying’ 39d ago AAxios Graham Platner tests Democrats' tolerance for scandal 33d ago PPolitico The easy part’s over for Platner 25d ago BLBloomberg Graham Platner Wins Democratic Senate Primary in Maine 24d ago RIGHT5
DWDaily Wire 'Deeply Disturbing': Dem Candidate's Sexually Explicit Porta Potty Posts Resurface 46d ago NYPNY Post Dem Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner gushed over phallic graffiti, boasted porta potty sex acts in Reddit posts 46d ago BBreitbart Report: Old Posts Show Dem Sen. Candidate Admitting to Masturbating in Porta Potty 45d ago WEWashington Examiner Platner demonstrates Trump-like Teflon response to scandals in polls 41d ago WTWashington Times Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner created suggestive profile on hookup app KiK 34d ago Tracked claims from across the political spectrum
Fact ledger
Corroborated
Disputed