Mills quits Maine Senate race leaving Democrat novice in running

Maine Governor Janet Mills on Thursday morning announced she was abandoning her bid for the Democratic nomination to take on incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in November's general election.

Her announcement was shocking – but ultimately unsurprising.

Mills has been a popular governor in the state and was the top choice of a national Democrat establishment targeting the Maine Senate seat as a lynchpin in its effort to wrest control of the chamber from Republicans in this year's midterm congressional elections.

But her campaign never gained momentum, and she had trailed political novice Graham Platner in primary-preference surveys for months – an early indication that this year, Democratic voters may be open to backing more non-traditional candidates.

"While I have the drive and passion, the commitment and experience, and above all else – the fight – to continue on," she wrote in a statement announcing her decision, "I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources".

Platner, a Marine Corps veteran who runs an oyster-farming business in the state, now has an open path to the Democratic nomination.

When he launched his political campaign in August with a video touting his working-class roots, he became a favourite among left-wing Democrats nationally.

That translated into a fundraising-boost – with $3m (£2.2m) within the first seven weeks of starting his campaign.

Platner garnered endorsements from progressive leaders like Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and centrists such as Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, as well as support from left-wing activist groups and trade unions.

"Everywhere I've gone, it seems like the fabric of what holds us together is being ripped apart by billionaires and corrupt politicians," Platner said in his campaign video. "Profiting off of destroying our environment, driving our families into poverty and crushing the middle class."

His popularity in the state held up even after his campaign was buffeted by controversy, including unearthed social media posts that critics say were homophobic and misogynistic and the revelation that he had an old tattoo – recently covered – of a skull that appeared similar to the "totenkopf" image worn by SS soldiers in Nazi Germany.

He has disavowed his past comments and said he didn't know the history of the image, which he said he picked out after a night of drinking with fellow soldiers while stationed in Croatia.

Mills, by contrast, had a long political pedigree.

She was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2002 and later served as the state's attorney general. In 2018, she won the state's governorship by a 7% margin and was re-elected in 2022 by 13%.

She gained some national fame in February 2025, when she sparred with Donald Trump over transgender athletes in women's sports during a Governors Association meeting at the White House.

"I'll see you in court," she told the president, who had threatened to cut off federal funding to Maine.

A week after Mills announced her bid for the Senate in October, Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate leader who had reportedly urged her to run, offered his wholehearted endorsement.

"We think Janet Mills is the best candidate to retire Susan Collins," he said. "She's a tested, two-term governor, and the people of Maine have an enormous amount of affection and respect for her."

At 78, however, Mills' age became an issue in the race – particularly in contrast with the 41-year-old Platner.

If elected, she would have become the oldest first-time senator in US history.

And just over a year after 82-year-old President Joe Biden abandoned his re-election bid - and following the deaths of several Democratic members of Congress in 2025 - the issue became a liability for her campaign.

Also, her recent attempts to attack Platner for his past controversies did little to dent his lead.

"I've been struck by how many voters I've talked to who really liked Janet Mills, who think she's been a great governor, but think it's time for some new voices," Josh Keefe, a political reporter at The Maine Monitor, told BBC's Americast. "They think it's time to sort of turn it over to the younger generation."

Keefe adds that he believes Mills' mistake was running a campaign too focused on Trump, when the state's Democratic voters are looking for a more enduring vision for the Democratic Party and its future.

"What Platner is saying is, listen, we need to create a society where a Donald Trump can't happen," he said. "We need to support the working class and support working people in this country so the anger isn't there that gives the fuel to Trumpism."

Recent head-to-head polls suggest Platner currently leads incumbent Collins in November's match-up.

But the sole remaining Republican representing a New England state in Congress has proven to be difficult for Democrats to defeat.

Collins was first elected to the Senate in 1996 by 5% and was re-elected in 2020 by a 51% to 42% margin. At age 73, she has said this will be her final Senate campaign.

Last week, a Collins-affiliated group launched a $2m advertising campaign attacking Platner - the start of what is expected to be one of the nation's most expensive Senate races this year.

Democrats need to flip four seats to win control of the chamber - and Maine, as one of their best opportunities - is considered by many in the party to be a must-win.

"Susan Collins is kind of a juggernaut in Maine," Keefe said. "Platner is just a complete anomaly in Maine politics, however, and certainly she's never faced anyone like him."