{"id":22730,"date":"2026-04-30T17:55:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/22730\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T17:55:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T17:55:17","slug":"maine-gov-janet-mills-drops-her-democratic-us-senate-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/22730\/","title":{"rendered":"Maine Gov. Janet Mills drops her Democratic US Senate bid"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) \u2014 Maine Gov. Janet Mills<\/a> on Thursday dropped her bid for the U.S. Senate, pointing to a lack of campaign funds to keep up in one of the most competitive races in the country that quickly became a reflection of an internal party debate over which candidates can win in high-profile contests. <\/p>\n

The move now thrusts political newcomer Graham Platner, an oyster farmer almost no one knew a year ago, as the expected Democratic front-runner against longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins, whose seat Democrats are targeting in their effort to win control of the closely divided Senate.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else \u2013 the fight \u2013 to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,\u201d Mills said in a statement. \u201cThat is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mills, a two-term governor and longtime Maine politician, was seen as one of Democrats\u2019 top 2026 recruits when she entered the Senate race<\/a> last year. She had the backing of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and prominent left-leaning advocacy groups hoping to unseat Collins in the chamber, which has 53 Republicans, 45 Democrats and two independents who caucus with the Democrats.<\/p>\n

But Mills struggled to outshine first-time candidate Platner, her opponent in the June 9 Democratic primary. Platner has maintained strong popularity despite facing controversy over past comments he made online and a tattoo<\/a> he had that is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol. <\/p>\n

Mills did not endorse Platner in her campaign suspension announcement but instead promised to keep defending the Constitution and democracy while she\u2019s governor for the remainder of her term. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, both of New York, said they would work with Platner to defeat Collins.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur North Star is winning a Democratic Senate majority, and over the past year, Senate Democrats have carved out multiple paths to do that,\u201d their statement said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Maine<\/p>\n

Maine Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the Budget address on Feb. 14, 2023, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty, File)<\/p>\n

Maine Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the Budget address on Feb. 14, 2023, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty, File)<\/p>\n

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Democrats debate how to win back some power <\/p>\n

The contest between Platner and Mills was part of a broader debate<\/a> within the Democratic Party over how best to defeat Republicans and win back some power in President Donald Trump\u2019s Washington, where the GOP controls the White House and both chambers of Congress. <\/p>\n

While Schumer backed Mills, his caucus did not fall in line<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Platner is backed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, and Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ruben Gallego of Arizona and Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. He said during a Thursday news conference that he hopes to work with Mills to \u201cturn the seat blue again\u201d in November.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe both got into this race because we knew how critical it is to defeat Susan Collins, and her decision today reflects a commitment to that project,\u201d Platner said.<\/p>\n

Mills had tried to convince voters that she was the best candidate to stand up to Trump, repeatedly noting she told the president she would see him in court<\/a>, a reference to Maine officials\u2019 lawsuit against the Trump administration over federal funding and a dispute over transgender athletes in sports. <\/p>\n

Yet the message appeared at times drowned out by the popularity Platner attracted on the campaign trail. His events have attracted thousands of supporters as he pitched his populist message and flooded airwaves with his ads. He consistently outraised Mills every step of the way, raising $4 million while Mills raised $2.6 million in the latest fundraising quarter. Collins raised $3.1 million but has $10 million in the bank. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Senate<\/p>\n

Senate candidate Graham Platner acknowledges the large crowd that attended Platner\u2019s town hall, Sept. 25, 2025, at Bunker Brewing in Portland, Maine. (Daryn Slover\/Portland Press Herald via AP, File)<\/p>\n

Senate candidate Graham Platner acknowledges the large crowd that attended Platner\u2019s town hall, Sept. 25, 2025, at Bunker Brewing in Portland, Maine. (Daryn Slover\/Portland Press Herald via AP, File)<\/p>\n

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Age also became an issue in the race, as some Democrats want younger candidates to lead the party going forward. Mills is 78, while Platner is 41. Collins is 73.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure this was a difficult decision for Governor Mills, and I thank her for her decades of service to the people of Maine,\u201d Collins said in a statement.<\/p>\n

So far this year, Democrats have largely avoided messy internal fights in their bid to retake the Senate. The Maine race was an exception, and with Mills\u2019 decision, the Michigan Democratic primary<\/a> could be the most heated campaign this year. Abdul El-Sayed, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow are locked in a competitive race there ahead of the August primary.<\/p>\n

Many political observers initially anticipated that it would be Platner, not Mills, who would be forced to bow out of the race.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A campaign sign for Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Graham Platner is seen Nov. 3, 2025, in Sullivan, Maine. (AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty, File)<\/p>\n

A campaign sign for Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate Graham Platner is seen Nov. 3, 2025, in Sullivan, Maine. (AP Photo\/Robert F. Bukaty, File)<\/p>\n

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Questions about Platner<\/p>\n

Platner has been dogged by questions about the skull-and-crossbones tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol that he said he got on his chest during a night of drinking while on military leave in Croatia. He has said the tattoo has been covered to no longer reflect that image. Additionally, there have been lingering questions from Democrats and Republicans about inflammatory comments he made in old online postings, which he has since disavowed.<\/p>\n

Yet, Platner\u2019s willingness to talk and apologize about his past mistakes has helped propel his favorability.<\/p>\n

Republicans had already begun attacking Platner ahead of Mills\u2019 campaign suspension announcement, pointing to his old social media posts that were dismissive of sexual assault. Among the posts, Platner once wrote on Reddit that people shouldn\u2019t get so drunk \u201cthey wind up having sex with someone they don\u2019t mean to.\u201d<\/p>\n

With Mills\u2019 departure, the GOP will only further attempt to paint Platner as a radical candidate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what that does is it tees up a race for Susan Collins against a very extreme radical Democrat who has views that are completely out of the mainstream from the people of Maine,\u201d Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Thursday.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

This story has been corrected to show a reference to the candidate\u2019s name should be Platner, not Plater.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Kruesi reported from Providence. R.I. Associated Press writer Steven Sloan contributed from Washington.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

Follow the AP\u2019s coverage of the 2026 election at https:\/\/apnews.com\/projects\/elections-2026\/<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORTLAND, Maine (AP) \u2014 Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday dropped her bid for the U.S. Senate, pointing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22731,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[362,10002,531,13836,140,38,286,618,8,13835,621,620,8343,6530,8342,9,67,10288,6800,13834,8197,7,363,365,100,373],"class_list":{"0":"post-22730","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-stories","8":"tag-2026-elections","9":"tag-abdul-el-sayed","10":"tag-bernie-sanders","11":"tag-campaign-finance","12":"tag-charles-schumer","13":"tag-donald-trump","14":"tag-elections","15":"tag-elizabeth-warren","16":"tag-headlines","17":"tag-janet-mills","18":"tag-john-thune","19":"tag-kirsten-gillibrand","20":"tag-maine","21":"tag-martin-heinrich","22":"tag-me-state-wire","23":"tag-news","24":"tag-politics","25":"tag-ruben-gallego","26":"tag-senate-elections","27":"tag-susan-collins","28":"tag-tattoos-and-piercings","29":"tag-top-stories","30":"tag-u-s-democratic-party","31":"tag-u-s-republican-party","32":"tag-united-states-government","33":"tag-united-states-senate"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@news\/116494946997887964","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22730"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22730\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22731"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}