Maine Gov. Janet Mills suspends Senate campaign

Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday she was suspending her campaign for Senate after trailing military veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner in the Democratic primary, citing a lack of financial resources.

Subscribe to read this story ad-free

Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.

“While I have the drive and passion, the commitment and experience, and above all – the fight – to keep going, I simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately need today: financial resources,” Mills said in a statement.

“That’s why I made the incredibly difficult decision today to suspend my campaign for U.S. Senate,” Mills said.

Senate Democrats had touted Mills as a top recruit to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins, the only Republican senator representing a state that President Donald Trump lost last year. Maine is virtually a must-win if Democrats are to win the four seats they need to take control of the chamber in the 2026 midterm elections. But Collins has proven a tough opponent in previous elections.

After launching his Senate campaign in October, Mills struggled to gain traction against Platner, who burst onto the scene as a brash political newcomer and quickly built a loyal following. Platner has gained support from prominent progressive leaders, including Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. More importantly, he has gained major support among Maine Democrats, leading by double digits in recent primary polls.

Mills, meanwhile, was backed by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who viewed Mills as the party’s best candidate in the general election.

DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., did not reference Platner in her statement about Mills leaving the race.

“Our North Star is winning a Democratic majority in the Senate, and over the past year, Senate Democrats have charted multiple paths to get there,” Gillibrand said. “We recruited strong candidates who expanded the map, a winning message focused on fighting for hard-working families, and tremendous campaigns working every day to hold Republicans accountable. In 2026, Democrats will win the majority in the Senate.”

Mills, 78, sought to allay concerns about his age by pledging to serve just one term in the Senate. But some Democratic voters were still concerned about his age and viewed Platner as the candidate with the best chance of beating Collins, despite a slew of controversial social media posts about his past making headlines in recent months.

Mills had argued that these posts would make Platner vulnerable to GOP attacks in November. Platner was a prolific commenter on Reddit, making statements downplaying sexual assault, criticizing police and rural Americans. An Army and Navy veteran, Platner attributed the positions to his struggles with post-traumatic stress after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan.