From Fox News: Democrats in Washington landed another high-profile recruit in the 2026 battle for the Senate majority, as two-term Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday announced her candidacy in the race to take on longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
The long-anticipated campaign launch by the battle-tested 77-year-old Democratic governor is seen as a victory for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The top Democrat in the Senate urged Mills to run and sees her as the best candidate to defeat Collins, the only Republican senator up for re-election next year in a state the Democrats carried in the presidential election. A Collins defeat would be essential for the Democrats to have any chance of winning back the Senate majority.
But before she reaches the general election, Mills first has to navigate a likely competitive and potentially divisive primary among a crowded field of contenders that includes a much younger rising star on the left who’s backed by longtime progressive champion Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Posting her campaign video Tuesday morning, Mills declared, “I’ve never backed down from a bully and I never will. 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. My life’s work has prepared me for this fight—and I’m ready to win.”
“I’m running for Senate to defeat Susan Collins and give Maine people someone who will stand up for them in Washington. I need you on this team from day one. Please, chip in any amount now,” she wrote, already beginning her fundraising pitch.
In her video, she included footage of the moment President Trump called her out for defying his order to ban transgenders from women’s sports and threatened to yank funding from her state.
I’m running for Senate to defeat Susan Collins and give Maine people someone who will stand up for them in Washington. I need you on this team from day one. Please, chip in any amount now:https://t.co/eqr09P9sxu
— Janet Mills (@JanetMillsforME) October 14, 2025
Meanwhile, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has backed another Democrat competing for Collins’ seat: Graham Platner, 41, a U.S. Marine and Army veteran and oyster farmer who announced his campaign two months ago.
Last week, Sanders wrote, “Graham Platner is a great working class candidate for Senate in Maine who will defeat Susan Collins. 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.”
Graham Platner is a great working class candidate for Senate in Maine who will defeat Susan Collins.
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.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 9, 2025
The report lists other candidates also seeking Collins’ seat:
- Dan Kleban, a co-founder of the Maine Beer Co. – DEMOCRAT
- Jordan Wood, former congressional staffer – DEMOCRAT
- Phil Rench, a former senior engineer for Elon Musk’s SpaceX – INDEPENDENT
Sen. Susan Collins, 72, a moderate Republican, was first elected to the Senate in 1996.
Republicans currently have a 53-47 majority in the U.S. Senate. Democrats are trying to flip the Senate and the House to blue in the midterms in an effort to thwart President Trump.
READ MORE from Fox News.
Maine Gov Mills joins crowded Dem primary in race to challenge longtime GOP senator https://t.co/V9THFNDNyj
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) October 14, 2025
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