PORTLAND, Maine – Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing fresh scrutiny after a sexually suggestive profile tied to him was discovered on Kik, a messaging application that anti-exploitation groups have described as a haven for online predators and child exploitation.
The account, operating under the username “phustle0331,” appears to mirror usernames Platner has previously used on other platforms, including the Reddit handle “P-Hustle,” which Platner has publicly acknowledged belonged to him. Platner’s private Instagram account also reportedly used the same “Phustle0331” username.
The Kik profile includes a photograph of a man appearing to be Platner standing naked in a bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. The image contains clearly identifiable tattoos matching Platner’s.
According to records, the Kik account was created in 2016 and features what appears to be an iPhone 6S or 6S Plus, devices released during the period when Platner was in his 30s.
The discovery adds to a growing list of controversies surrounding Platner’s online history and past public comments. Previously uncovered Reddit posts attributed to Platner included graphic discussions about “jerk[ing] off” in public restrooms, engaging in phone sex while deployed overseas, and allegations involving prostitution and tax avoidance schemes in Thailand.
Kik has long faced criticism from child safety advocates and anti-exploitation organizations. The Center on Sexual Exploitation previously referred to the platform as a “predator’s paradise” and warned the application has a “huge child exploitation problem.”
The platform has repeatedly drawn national attention over concerns involving anonymous messaging, illicit content, and the exploitation of minors.
One law enforcement professional told the Maine Wire, “only pedos use Kik.
The visible tattoos in the photo, including the Chinese character for “love” on his chest and distinctive designs on his arm and shoulder, exactly match Platner’s known body art (noting the mirror reversal inherent in the selfie). His phone and arm are positioned in the shot to obscure a Totenkopf tattoo he has elsewhere covered.
The opposition research notes circulate by GOP operatives highlighted the app’s connection to cyber sex crimes involving minors. But there is no indication that Platner used the app to communicate with minors.
In February 2016, The New York Times published a detailed exposé highlighting Kik’s role in horrific crimes, including the abduction and murder of 13-year-old cancer survivor Nicole Lovvett by two college students who first connected with her on the app.
Law enforcement officials at the time described Kik as “the problem app of the moment,” noting it was used by roughly 40 percent of American teenagers.
Multiple cases of sexual assault, sextortion, and child pornography distribution were linked to the platform in just the preceding weeks, according to the report.
Kik allowed users as young as 13 with minimal age verification, and its anonymous nature made it a magnet for predators.
Even in Maine, the app has featured prominently in child predator prosecutions — including a September 2025 arrest involving AI-generated explicit images of children from soccer games, a June 2025 sentencing for producing and distributing child rape videos in a dedicated Kik chatroom, an October 2024 guilty plea for possessing child sexual abuse material exchanged over the app, and a February 2023 case in which a 31-year-old man posed as a 19-year-old to solicit nudes from underage girls.
The Maine Wire has reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment regarding the Kik account and associated profile information.
