Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills decided to drop out of the race for U.S. Senate in her home state on April 30, 2026, announcing the suspension of her campaign in a statement published on social media platform X. Embarrassingly, the reason for the decision was cited as failing to raise enough funds. Mills was competing against other Democrats for an opportunity to take on incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
“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 stated in the X post. With Mills out of the race, political newcomer Graham Platner now becomes the frontrunner in the Democratic primary.
Platner’s campaign has been highly controversial, having stirred up a number of scandals, including his having a Nazi SS tattoo. The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) referred to Mills dropping out of the race as a sort of coronation for Platner within the Democratic Party. “Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats just coronated a phony who is too extreme for Maine. Susan Collins has always put in the work for her constituents and delivered,” NRSC Chairman Tim Scott said.
“Washington Democrats always fall short in Maine and will again, because they just nominated a dishonest radical,” the statement continued, according to Fox News. When Mills first entered the Senate race in 2025, the Democratic machine gave her their full support. She was endorsed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and several prominent Democratic organizations.
Platner, however, has been given Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) seal of approval, along with receiving support from Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Martin Heinrich, (D-NM). The controversial candidate has, according to NBC News, put in significant effort building support among Democrats in Maine, where he is now in the lead by double digits.
Schumer and DSCC Chair Kirsten Gillibrand put out a joint statement about Mills leaving the race, though they did not mention Platner, saying, “Our North Star is winning a Democratic Senate majority, and over the past year, Senate Democrats have carved out multiple paths to do that. We have recruited strong candidates who have expanded the map, a winning message focused on fighting for hardworking families, and formidable campaigns working every day to hold Republicans accountable. In 2026, Democrats will win a Senate majority.”
Many Democrats expressed concern over Mills’ age — she’s 78 — promising that she would only serve one term in the Senate. However, some Democratic voters were still worried about the issue and saw Platner as the best chance at defeating Collins in the November election, despite some of his controversial social media posts.
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Mills warned Democrats that those posts would make Platner vulnerable to Republican attacks as the election draws closer. Some of the more egregious comments Platner made on Reddit include downplaying sexual assault, slamming police, and being critical of rural Americans. The candidate attempted to explain away the comments by claiming they were the result of post-traumatic stress from serving in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
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