Janet Mills Quits Race as 64% Opponent Rises

Maine Governor Drops Out, Clearing Path for Oyster Farmer in Senate Showdown

In a dramatic twist that’s reshaping Maine’s political landscape, Governor Janet Mills has pulled the plug on her Democratic U.S. Senate campaign. Her sudden exit hands the party’s nomination to Graham Platner – a 41-year-old oyster farmer with a massive fundraising haul and a fiery anti-Trump platform – setting up a high-stakes battle against longtime Republican incumbent Susan Collins.

“I’ve got the drive, the passion, and the fight. But let’s be real – campaigns today run on cash, and I just don’t have enough of it,” Mills said in a statement released Thursday. The 78-year-old two-term governor admitted it was an “incredibly difficult decision” to step aside, especially after Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer personally recruited her to take on Collins.

So why the sudden dropout? The writing had been on the wall for weeks. A February poll from the University of New Hampshire showed Platner crushing Mills by a staggering 64% to 26%. And the money gap was just as brutal: Platner raised 4.1million∗∗inthefirstquarterofthisyear,whileMillsbroughtinonly∗∗4.1million∗∗inthefirstquarterofthisyear,whileMillsbroughtinonly∗∗2.7 million. Her campaign also vanished from TV airwaves in early April after a brief, failed attempt to highlight Platner’s old controversial social media posts.

At a press conference in Augusta on Thursday, Platner struck a gracious tone. “Governor Mills has served Maine her whole life – we’re eternally grateful. We both got into this to defeat Susan Collins, and her decision today shows she’s committed to that mission. I look forward to working with her between now and November to get it done.”

Susan Collins, who’s been in the Senate for nearly three decades, offered a measured response. Speaking with CNN’s Manu Raju, she said, “I’m sure this was very hard for her. She’s devoted her life to public service. I wish her well.” But when asked about facing Platner, Collins deflected: “This is the governor’s day – let’s focus on her message to Maine.”

Don’t let the polite words fool you. The general election is already getting nasty. A pro-Collins super PAC just launched a $2 million ad blitz bashing Platner, and Republicans are gleefully calling him “too extreme for Maine.” Sen. Tim Scott, head of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, crowed: “Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats just coronated a phony.”

The dirt on Platner – and why the GOP is licking its chops

Platner isn’t your typical Senate candidate. The oyster farmer has a past littered with red flags that Republicans are already weaponizing:

• Deleted social media posts – uncovered by CNN’s KFile – where he reportedly called rural white Americans “racist and stupid” and denigrated police. He’s since disavowed the posts, saying they don’t reflect who he is today.

• A chest tattoo that allegedly resembled a Nazi symbol. Platner says he regrets it and has since covered it up.

Democrats, however, see a fighter. Sen. Bernie Sanders endorsed Platner before Mills even dropped out, along with Elizabeth Warren, Ruben Gallego, and Martin Heinrich. Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand – who runs the Senate Democrats’ campaign arm – quickly rallied behind Platner after Mills’ exit, saying in a joint statement: “After years of allowing Trump’s abuses of power, Susan Collins has never been more vulnerable. We will work with Graham Platner to defeat her.”

The bigger picture: Age, money, and Maine’s Trump problem

Mills, 78, was running against a wave of Democrats demanding generational change. Had she won, she would have become the oldest freshman senator in U.S. history – a tough sell in a party that just watched Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Grassley face questions about fitness for office. Platner is 41 – the same age as Pete Buttigieg when he ran for president.

Then there’s the Trump factor. Maine is quirky: it splits its electoral votes by congressional district. Trump lost the state overall three times, but he won the rural 2nd District in 2016 and 2020. Collins, 73, is one of the few Republicans who voted against Trump’s priority agenda bill last year – but Democrats argue she’s still too cozy with the MAGA wing. Platner promises to be an “aggressive opponent” of Trump, which could fire up the base in Portland and Augusta.

Can Collins survive another close call?

Susan Collins has a reputation as a comeback kid. She’s survived every Democratic wave since 1996, often by painting herself as a moderate. But her 2020 vote to confirm Justice Brett Kavanaugh sparked national outrage, and her approval ratings in Maine have slipped. Still, she chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, giving her enormous leverage to bring home federal dollars – a fact she’ll hammer home from Bangor to Bar Harbor.

For now, Platner’s team is acting like the primary is already over. They’ve pointed to polling, fundraising, and the pro-Collins super PAC’s early attacks as proof that Republicans fear him. Mills, according to a source familiar with her decision, made the call Wednesday night after realizing she was “running out of time to course correct.”

The November election in Maine is now a clear contrast: a three-decade incumbent with seniority and a moderate brand vs. a young, left-wing outsider with baggage and a viral fundraising operation. One thing’s for sure – it’s going to be a wild ride. And with control of the U.S. Senate hanging in the balance, the whole country will be watching.