Graham Platner’s U.S. Senate campaign failed to file his personal financial disclosure with the Secretary of the Senate, a requirement under the Ethics in Government Act that must be completed within 30 days of launching a campaign.
Platner filed his Statement of Candidacy on August 18, setting a deadline of September 17 for submitting the disclosure. The campaign is now eight weeks overdue in complying. The public online database maintained by the Secretary of the Senate shows no filings from Platner.
“He must not have filed it yet because it’s not in our system,” a phone operator with the Senate Office of Public Records told The Judge Street Journal after reviewing the database.
The campaign did not respond to a request for comment, and spokesman Joe Calvello did not answer repeated phone calls from the outlet. While the maximum penalty for missing the filing deadline is just $200, the lapse marks another misstep for a campaign that has captured public enthusiasm but struggled with internal organization.
Campaign treasurer Victoria Perrone, responsible for compliance oversight, resigned after just two weeks on the job last month. Three days later, Platner’s director of finance also stepped down. They were the third and fourth senior staffers to quit during the final two weeks of October.
The disclosure issue follows reporting that the campaign elected to place Platner’s wife on its payroll rather than risk affecting the candidate’s disability payments from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Platner has said he does not take income from his oyster farm and instead relies on $4,800 per month in VA disability benefits.
His financial background has drawn scrutiny among Democrats. Supporters highlight his oyster farmer image, while critics point to his diploma from an elite boarding school and reporting from Ashley Brasfield that his father, an attorney, has contributed more than $60,000 to Democratic political causes.
This was report was first reported exclusively by the Judge Street Journal.
