Maine Gov. Janet Mills introduced Thursday morning that she is suspending her U.S. Senate marketing campaign, leaving Graham Platner because the seemingly Democratic nominee to face off towards incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Mills cited monetary sources as a motive for suspending her marketing campaign.
“Whereas I’ve the drive and keenness, dedication and expertise, and above all else — the battle — to proceed on, I very merely would not have the one factor that political campaigns sadly require as we speak: the monetary sources,” Mills mentioned in a ready assertion. “That’s the reason as we speak I’ve made the extremely troublesome choice to droop my marketing campaign for the USA Senate.”
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills, proper, arrives within the Home Chamber with Chief Justice Valerie Stanfill, earlier than delivering her State of the State deal with, Jan. 30, 2024, on the State Home in Augusta, Maine.
Robert F. Bukaty/AP
The most recent Federal Election Fee filings from Q1 present Planter raised roughly $1.4 million greater than Mills and has roughly $1.7 million more money readily available.
Platner, an oyster farmer and army veteran, additionally often polled considerably greater than Mills.
Mills’ announcement got here simply someday earlier than the Maine Democratic Conference was scheduled to start — and greater than 5 weeks earlier than the state’s June 9 main.
Mills and Platner had been scheduled to take part of their first televised debates of the marketing campaign in Might alongside David Costello.
Sen. Bernie Sanders supported Platner, whereas Sen. Chuck Schumer had beforehand introduced his endorsement of Mills.
Democratic Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner speaks at a city corridor in Ogunquit, Maine, Oct. 22, 2025.
Caleb Jones/AP
In an announcement issued Thursday morning by the Democratic Senatorial Marketing campaign Committee, Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand mentioned partly, “After years of permitting Trump’s abuses of energy, Senator Collins has by no means been extra weak and we are going to work with the presumptive Democratic nominee Graham Platner to defeat her.”
ABC Information’ Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
