Graham Platner Takes Down Shirtless Kik Photo But Profile Remains Active

The Kik profile of Graham Platner remains active as of early Tuesday, but no longer features a shirtless photo of the Democratic frontrunner in Maine's 2026 Senate primary.

The profile for Platner on the anonymous messaging app, Phustle0331, removed a shirtless snapshot of the Senate hopeful late Monday afternoon following reports that he had sent sexually explicit messages to multiple women while married.

Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer and combat veteran, has been on Kik for 3,612 days, or since 2016. His campaign told The Wall Street Journal that while the profile is active, Platner deleted the app from his phone. The profile previously featured a photo of the Democrat shirtless, with a towel around his waist, showing off multiple tattoos, though one resembling a Nazi symbol had been obscured by his hand.

Platner did not return a message seeking comment on the platform Monday, but a Kik user in Maine told Newsweek she had previously communicated with the aspiring senator “last week” on the app. Newsweek was unable to confirm her identity or the veracity of her claims.

"Thought he looked familiar," another user who said they communicated with Platner on Kik told Newsweek in a message early Tuesday.

Newsweek reached out to Platner’s campaign for comment on Monday.

Kik, an instant messaging app that launched in 2015, allows users to access the platform without providing phone numbers or valid email addresses. In 2023, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation dubbed Kik a “predator’s paradise.”

“Kik has little to no protections in place to prevent all this grooming and child sexual exploitation,” the nonprofit group said. “The only real safety settings Kik provides is the ability to block or report a user. This places almost all the responsibility on the victimized children and users, whose age, inexperience, fear, or other vulnerabilities is often a barrier when it comes to identifying and reporting abuse.”

A Newsweek reporter who created a profile on Monday was quickly bombarded with sexually charged messages from users seeking anonymous sex, including some who offered to “swap photos” or send explicit videos.

Newsweek reached out to Kik for comment on Tuesday morning.

Platner hopes to oust longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins and enjoys the support of some prominent politicians amid the swirling Kik controversy, including Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Democrats currently have a 58 percent chance of winning Collins' Senate seat in November, according to the latest data from prediction market Kalshi. There's a 17 percent chance that Platner drops out of the race, per Kalshi.

"People can’t afford health care. Can’t afford groceries. Can’t afford to put gas in their cars. And I think it might be a good idea if we focused on the important issues facing the working families of Maine and this country," Sanders told the Associated Press on Monday.

Sanders, who plans to meet with Platner later this week in Washington, D.C., said voters should “focus on issues more important than the Platner marriage” while reiterating that he still backs the Marine Corps veteran.

“Of course,” he said. “Why would I not?”

However, the communications director for Senate Republicans is hinting that there’s more firestorm ahead for Platner.

“Graham Platner is going to have a very long day tomorrow,” NRSC communications director Joanna Rodriguez wrote on X late Monday.

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This story was originally published June 2, 2026 at 11:06 AM.