Graham Platner campaign spends $2.3 million following Maine Senate exit

Federal Election Commission filings reveal that Graham Platner’s U.S. Senate campaign has spent approximately $2.3 million since he withdrew from the Maine race in July. Following his exit, the campaign utilized its remaining funds to issue refunds to small-dollar donors totaling over $70,000 and to pay staff severance.

Total staff severance payments exceeded $350,000, with individual amounts ranging from $3,500 to $20,000. The largest single severance payment, $20,246, was issued to Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner. According to a former campaign official, these severance amounts were determined by the staff’s union contract and based on tenure.

Platner, a Marine veteran and oyster farmer, had previously secured a significant primary victory over Governor Janet Mills before withdrawing from the race following allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied. The campaign has not made contributions to the Maine Democratic Party or to Troy Jackson, the Democrat who replaced him in the race.