Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and other Democratic senators were tight-lipped about their meetings Tuesday with Senate candidate Graham Platner in Washington, D.C., following new reports the Maine Democrat had sent sexually explicit text messages to various women after marrying his wife in 2023.

The Tuesday afternoon meeting was a “long-planned” one, per Axios, but it took on greater significance this week and served as a gauge for how members of the party are feeling amid the latest controversy to hit the Sullivan oysterman and military veteran challenging U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. The race is viewed as crucial by both parties to determining control of the Senate.

The weekend stories from The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times detailed how Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, had reached out to a Platner campaign staffer not long after he launched his campaign last August to disclose how she had seen suggestive texts on her husband’s phone that he had exchanged with other women after the couple married in 2023.

They had been working through the indiscretions in marriage counseling, Gertner told the aide, who was identified as the campaign’s former political director, Genevieve McDonald. Gertner wanted the campaign to know about the potential liability. McDonald, a former state lawmaker from Stonington, left the campaign in October after Platner’s past Reddit posts that included a range of controversial statements first came to light.

Platner has garnered endorsements from a range of senators since launching his campaign last summer, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who remained in his corner after the weekend. By the time Gov. Janet Mills, the Democrat who is termed out of office this year, entered the Senate race in October as Schumer’s preferred pick, momentum had already swung in Platner’s favor.

Mills suspended her campaign in late April, but amid the most recent Platner controversy, she told the Press Herald that she is “still on the ballot” ahead of Tuesday’s primary.

Schumer, the New York Democrat, told Capitol Hill reporters he also met with Platner on Tuesday. Asked multiple times if he stands by Platner and if he is concerned by the latest reports, Schumer gave the same line.

“We’re going to beat Susan Collins and take back the Senate,” he said.

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said after Tuesday’s meeting that she is “very optimistic” Democrats will win in Maine.

Sanders reportedly confronted individuals who were outside the national Senate Democratic campaign wing’s office after he and others met with Platner, asking the group: “Are you with the Republican Party? Are you talking about morality and corruption with President Trump?

A person close to the meeting who insisted on anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the private gathering that included six senators said it went “well” and that Platner talked with the senators “about the energy on the ground in Maine” and his plan to beat Collins.

McDonald said in a social media post after the weekend stories came out that she had spoken off the record months ago about the texts with The Wall Street Journal. Journalists then contacted her again last week to share how they were running the story after verifying the messages through multiple sources. The New York Times story cited McDonald by name, and said it had confirmed the past messages with “current and former campaign officials.”

Platner’s campaign has also confirmed the texts to the Portland Press Herald.

Gertner defended her husband in a written statement Saturday and blamed McDonald for violating her trust, saying she was “deeply hurt by her betrayal.” Gertner also released a five-minute video in which she talked about the challenges she and her husband have faced since getting married in 2023, and how they are receiving counseling, both as a couple and individually.

“Amy and I went through something hard — because of me. We did the work, and I’m grateful for her every hour of every day,” Platner added in a statement Sunday.

Since launching his campaign, Platner has maintained momentum in polling and fundraising while weathering the string of controversies. While in Washington this week, he is also reportedly scheduled to attend a few fundraisers, including one hosted by Ron Klain, who served as former President Joe Biden’s chief of staff.

Staff Writer Randy Billings contributed to this story.