Washington DC – Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Senate Democrats in Washington on Tuesday amid an ongoing sexting scandal.

Schumer and Platner met for a 30-minute, one-on-one conversation on Tuesday, according to sources who spoke with the New York Times. The oyster farmer also held a 90-minute session with a number of Senate Democrats.

Platner recently received Schumer's endorsement after his main Democratic rival, Governor Janet Mills, dropped out of the race in April.

Both meetings were planned before Platner was accused of texting sexual messages to women, even after his marriage to Amy Gertner in 2023. He had originally invited the entire Senate Democratic caucus, but only a handful arrived.

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They focused on how Platner can defeat incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in November's midterm elections. Maine will be crucial if the Democratic Party wants to regain control of the Senate.

"I met with Graham Platner today," Schumer said when asked by a reporter on Tuesday about the recent allegations against the 41-year-old. "We're going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate."

Facing numerous questions about the presumptive Maine Senate candidate, Schumer continued to repeat: "We're gonna beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate."

On his way to and from the meetings, Platner refused to say a word to reporters, instead opting to keep his head down and continue forward.

When asked about the recent scandal, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders asked: "Why are they spending so much money trying to defeat this guy? The answer is that he's going to stand up to the oligarchs."