Hard Wire

Platner Issues NDA To Staffers

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Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner is facing a campaign unraveling in real time, as internal turmoil and a flood of past controversies collide with a mounting PR crisis. A Thursday report by Politico reveals that Platner’s team began circulating non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) among staffers, a move that only deepened suspicions rather than contained them.

At the center of the latest storm is Genevieve McDonald, Platner’s former political director, who resigned earlier this month. According to McDonald, shortly after she stepped down, the campaign offered her a $15,000 severance—on the condition she sign a nondisclosure agreement. She refused.


“I certainly could have used the money,” McDonald told Politico. “I quit my job to work on Platner’s campaign, believing it was something different than it is.”

McDonald provided a screenshot of a message from campaign contractor Victoria Perrone, suggesting the payout was contingent on her signature: “If you can get it back to me before the end of the day, I can get your payments out the door.” While the campaign has since insisted that the offer was standard severance—not hush money—the optics are increasingly difficult to defend.

The NDA was reportedly voided hours after Politico reached out for comment, raising further questions about its intent and timing.


This latest revelation comes as Platner’s candidacy has been battered by resurfaced online activity, including a controversial tattoo he admitted resembled a Nazi symbol, as well as inflammatory Reddit posts. Among them: a 2018 entry implying that violence may sometimes be necessary for social change, and another labeling police as “all bastards.”

The fallout has been swift. In an effort to regain control, Platner brought on political veteran Kevin Brown—whose résumé includes work for Barack Obama and Elizabeth Warren—as his new campaign manager. The team also hired Spruce Street Consulting, a progressive firm with ties to other left-leaning candidates, to oversee compliance and bring “standard practices” to the campaign—albeit retroactively.


But the damage may already be done.

Platner’s once-underdog campaign gained early traction among Maine’s progressive base, but it now finds itself overshadowed by scandal just as establishment Democrats begin consolidating around Governor Janet Mills, a far more seasoned and less controversial contender to challenge incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins.

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