Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) praised Governor Janet Mills (D) Thursday after she ended her Senate campaign, acknowledging her long service to the state. With Mills out, Platner is now the heavy favorite to win the June Democratic primary and face three-term Republican incumbent Susan Collins in the general election this November.
Speaking at a press conference, Platner said he looks forward to working with Mills to defeat Collins and flip the seat to Democratic control. “The race has never been about me or really about one person—it’s about a movement of working Mainers who are fed up with being robbed by billionaires and the politicians who own them,” he declared.
Platner’s Anti-Establishment Message
Platner, an oyster farmer by trade, has run a campaign centered on populist themes, railing against corporate influence in politics. He has previously called for impeaching Supreme Court Justices Thomas and Alito, a position that has energized progressive activists. On Thursday, he doubled down on his pledge to disrupt Washington. “We will defeat Susan Collins, we will go to Washington, and we will start tearing down the system that for too long has forgotten and written off the people who make Maine and this country what it is,” he said.
Mills’s exit, announced Thursday morning, came as a surprise to many political observers. In a statement, she cited a lack of financial resources as the primary reason for suspending her campaign. “While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else—the fight—to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” Mills said.
Fundraising and Polling Edge
Platner had consistently outperformed Mills in fundraising and polling over recent weeks, despite several controversies that have dogged his campaign. The governor entered the race last year as a top recruit of Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), but her inability to keep pace financially ultimately doomed her bid. The development significantly simplifies the Democratic primary field and sets up a head-to-head contest between Platner and Collins.
The Democratic Party’s official X account weighed in Thursday morning, posting: “Maine, let’s send an oyster farmer to the U.S. Senate—and kick out Susan Collins.” The post signals that national Democrats are coalescing behind Platner, even as his unorthodox style raises questions about electability in a general election.
Collins Campaign Silent
The Hill has reached out to Collins’s campaign for comment on the shifting dynamics. Collins, a moderate Republican first elected in 1996, has survived several tough challenges and is expected to face a competitive race in a state that has trended Democratic in presidential elections. Platner will need to broaden his appeal beyond the progressive base to win over independents and moderate Republicans in November.
With Mills out, the race now becomes a stark choice between a populist insurgent and a veteran incumbent, setting the stage for one of the most closely watched Senate contests in the country.
