Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner’s campaign has been paying his wife a biweekly salary, according to recent filings with the Federal Election Commission.
On Sept. 15, Platner’s committee, Graham For Maine, paid Amy Gertner $1,799.81, and two weeks later issued another payment of $1,799.82, labeling both transactions as “salary.”
A former campaign staffer who requested anonymity told The Judge Street Journal that Gertner was initially brought on as a volunteer coordinator to help with early campaign efforts. The staffer said the campaign decided to pay Gertner for several reasons, including concerns about the optics of Platner drawing a salary himself and the possible effect on his veterans disability payments.
Platner has told News Center Maine he receives $4,800 per month in disability benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The former staffer said Gertner previously earned a salary from the oyster farm Platner owns and that the campaign income helped supplement that loss once campaigning began.
A spokesperson for the campaign confirmed that Gertner works full time for the campaign and described her as a valued member of the team. “She manages the campaign schedule and is a volunteer coordinator,” the statement said. “Additionally, as a former teacher, Amy also helps with the campaign’s education work.”
The campaign did not respond to questions about whether it considered potential risks to Platner’s disability status.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has several categories for veterans rated 100% disabled. Those receiving benefits under the “Individual Unemployability” program cannot earn income above the federal poverty threshold, while others may work without affecting eligibility. It is not publicly known which category Platner is classified under.
The payments to Gertner come as Platner’s campaign faces staff turnover and controversy over his past social media posts and a tattoo he said he later learned was a Nazi symbol. In October, political director Genevieve McDonald, campaign manager Kevin Brown and finance director Ronald Holmes all left the campaign. A compliance consultant also resigned after two weeks, The Judge Street Journal previously reported.
This report was broken exclusively by Timmy Facciola via his Substack account Judge Street Journal
