Washington Democrats Line Up Behind Maine’s Governor in Marquee Senate Race, Setting Up Potentially Brutal Battle With Party’s Left Flank
The left wing of the Democratic Party has rallied to combat veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner.
Key Democratic senators are quickly lining up behind Maine’s governor in what could be the marquee Senate race of 2026. Before anyone gets the chance to challenge Senator Susan Collins next year, however, the party will likely suffer through a divisive primary between the governor and the favored candidate of the party’s left flank.
Governor Janet Mills announced her Senate campaign in a message to supporters on Tuesday, saying that she was the person best poised to take on the president. In her announcement video, she included footage of herself sparring with the president during a meeting of state governors earlier this year.
“I’ve never backed down from a bully and I never will,” Ms. Mills wrote in a message on Tuesday. “Donald Trump is ripping away health care from millions, driving up costs, and giving corporate CEOs massive tax cuts. And Susan Collins is helping him.”
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which is charged with electing Democrats to the Senate, has already launched a joint fundraising venture, signaling support from the chairwoman of the organization, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, for Ms. Mills’s effort.
Another lawmaker, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, endorsed Ms. Mills almost immediately after she announced her campaign on Tuesday. “When we served as attorneys general together, I saw how Janet Mills stands up for Maine — taking on the big banks and drug companies, keeping families safe, and always putting Mainers first,” Ms. Cortez Masto wrote on X. “She is a proven leader who knows how to win in Maine, and I’m excited to support her.”
According to Politico, Ms. Mills is also the favored candidate of the Senate Democratic leader, Senator Chuck Schumer. He has so far had a remarkable winning streak when it comes to recruiting top-tier candidates for races across the country, including the former governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, a former senator from Ohio, Sherrod Brown, Congressman Chris Pappas in New Hampshire, and strong primary fields in other key states.
The 72-year-old Ms. Collins has not yet announced if she will run for a historic sixth term, though she is widely expected to do so. According to fundraising records, she has raised more than $6 million since her last campaign, signaling she will run again.
Ms. Mills, 77, will first have to go through what could be a bruising Democratic primary if she wants to face Ms. Collins next November. A number of more liberal candidates — some of whom have never held elected office — are vowing to stay in the race despite Ms. Mills’s entrance.
“Janet Mills and Susan Collins have been in power my entire life. Janet Mills was my district attorney growing up. I was in second grade when Susan Collins was first elected my senator,” one Democratic candidate, Jordan Wood, who worked as a congressional staffer and liberal activist, said in a statement. “We need a fresh perspective in Washington. Time for the next generation to represent Maine.”
The most formidable challenge to Ms. Mills’s candidacy may come from a newcomer, however. Graham Platner is a Marine, Army veteran, and oyster farmer from the rural, northeastern part of the state. His thick mustache, gravelly voice, and broad stature, coupled with his left-wing policy prescriptions, have enamored many liberal party activists.
Even Senator Bernie Sanders has jumped on board to support Mr. Platner’s run for Senate. They held a rally together in the state last month. Mr. Sanders has gone so far as to urge Ms. Mills to stay out of the race altogether, given the enthusiasm Mr. Platner has generated. He has raised more than $3 million so far for his Senate bid in the weeks since he announced his candidacy.
“Graham Platner is a great working class candidate for Senate in Maine who will defeat Susan Collins,” Mr. Sanders said in a post on X last week. “It’s disappointing that some Democratic leaders are urging Governor Mills to run. We need to focus on winning that seat & not waste millions on an unnecessary & divisive primary.”
