Gov. Janet Mills suspends US Senate campaign in Maine

Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) has dropped out of the U.S. Senate race, reported Punchbowl News reporter Max Cohen on X.

Mills leaving the race paves an easier path for Graham Platner to challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine).

“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 in a statement released Thursday. “That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate.”

Polls weren't great for Mills. As the Maine Beacon reported earlier in April, Platner held a 33-point advantage over her.

The matchup in the general election also wasn't as good for Mills as it was for Platner. That same report showed "Platner leading incumbent ... Collins in a general election matchup, 48 percent to 39 percent, with 12 percent undecided."

Democrats are hoping for a "blue wave" year in the 2026 midterms. While they are expected to take back the House, Republicans have done everything they can to stack the deck. Now some political experts are questioning whether the U.S. Senate could be in play as well. Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) has a promising lead in his race, and Platner will now also have an opening.

"The latest results mark a significant shift from October 2025 polling, when results showed that the race was far tighter. At that point, Platner led Mills by just 2 points in the primary and held a narrow 3-point edge over Collins, while Mills still trailed Collins in a hypothetical matchup," the Beacon said.

As the New York Times reported, Mills leaving the race is a huge blow to Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who recruited her.

"Schumer, the minority leader, has for almost two decades chosen his party’s Senate candidates with little internal opposition," the report said. "That era may be coming to an end — and Ms. Mills’s ill-fated campaign is not the only evidence."

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