WASHINGTON, D.C. — After bombshell reporting from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times revealed that Graham Platner was sending sexual text messages to over a dozen women, new reporting by Townhall and the Daily Wire reveals Platner’s profile on a “predator’s paradise” app known for child exploitation.
What they are saying:
Wall Street Journal: Graham Platner’s Wife Flagged Sexually Explicit Texts to His Senate Campaign
Platner also has an active account on Kik, a popular, private messaging app. Platner’s profile shows a mirror selfie of him shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist. Many of his tattoos are clearly visible in the picture.
The Wall Street Journal verified the account on the app, a messaging platform that has been widely used for sexual encounters.
The account is listed with the user ID phustle0331, which is similar to other social-media handles that Platner has used, including Reddit and a now-deleted Instagram account. It was created in 2016.
Platner’s campaign said the candidate had long deleted the app from his phone but hadn’t deactivated his account.
Daily Wire: SEE IT: Graham Platner Has Active Profile On ‘Predator’s Paradise’ Messaging App
The Maine Democrat, who is seeking to unseat incumbent senator Susan Collins, is a registered user on Kik, a Daily Wire review found. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation deems the anonymous messaging app a “predator’s paradise,” thanks to a number of features that allow underage users to join the app and communicate with adults.
Townhall: Platner Maintained Sexually-Suggestive Profile on ‘Predator’s Paradise’ App Known For Child Exploitation
Platner’s Kik account, which he later admitted was his to the Wall Street Journal, was created on June 26, 2016. By that time, Kik has already garnered a strong reputation as a platform rife with predators seeking to sexually exploit children. Several cases received widespread attention, including a 2016 sting operation that resulted in the arrests of more than 2,600 predators. The issue was considered so prevalent that the New York Times published an exposé on the dangers the app posed to children.
Maine Wire: Maine Democratic Senate Candidate Graham Platner Kept Sexually Suggestive Account on App Dubbed “Predator’s Paradise”
One law enforcement professional told the Maine Wire, “only pedos use Kik.”
Red State: Maine Dem Senate Candidate Platner Says He Forgot to Close His Kik Account. Sure.
Maine has not been spared. In 2025, a Maine man was sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison after prosecutors proved he produced child sexual abuse videos for other Kik users. A separate case involved a man accused of photographing children at sporting events and using artificial intelligence to sexualize those images.
“Which brings us back to Platner. A man running for the U.S. Senate, on a platform of fighting for working people, maintained an active profile on an app that federal prosecutors have spent years describing as a recurring tool in child exploitation cases and that child safety organizations have labeled a “Predator’s Paradise.” His explanation? He deleted the app. Just never closed the account.
Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ): “Yeah, I have concerns. The guy has questions to answer.”
Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT): “I haven’t followed this story as closely…character also involves standing up to people who are bankrupting and corrupting this country.”
Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ): “I have not met him.”
Brent Scher, Daily Wire: “It’s real. Here is Graham Platner’s active profile on Kik, a “predators paradise” app known as a hotbed for child pornography, kidnapping, and sexual abuse.”
Tim Rice, Daily Wire: “Platner joined Kik four months *after* the New York Times published an expose on the app’s popularity among sexual predators, who used Kik to distribute child pornography and facilitate abuse, kidnapping, and murder.”
Laura Loomer: “For those of you who don’t know what Kik is, it’s an app pedos often use to meet minors since its primary users are teenagers & users can chat anonymously.”
###