Posted on 10/14/2025 10:01:40 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Summary
WASHINGTON, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Maine Governor Janet Mills launched a U.S. Senate campaign on Tuesday, joining a crowded field of Democrats hoping to unseat Republican Senator Susan Collins with a campaign that intends to portray the incumbent as an out-of-step defender of President Donald Trump.
Mills, a 77-year-old popular two-term governor, enters the race as the establishment favorite. But her candidacy sets up a high-profile primary clash with oysterman Graham Platner, a progressive outsider who raised $3.25 million in the first six weeks of his campaign.
Mills, who is more moderate than Platner, is the only Democratic candidate in the race who has won elections.
Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, a Nevada Democrat, quickly endorsed Mills on Tuesday, calling her "a proven leader who knows how to win in Maine."
The Democratic field also includes former U.S. Representative Katie Porter's chief of staff Jordan Wood, whose campaign said it has raised more than $3 million since launching on April 23, and Maine Beer Company founder Dan Kleban, who announced his candidacy on September 3.
Though Collins is a formidable incumbent who chairs the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, Maine is perhaps Senate Democrats' best pickup opportunity on the 2026 map. Former Vice President Kamala Harris won the state in last November’s presidential election by nearly 7 percentage points.
Democrats are also targeting North Carolina, where incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis is not seeking reelection. Former North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, is expected to face former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley.
DEMOCRATS FACE TOUGH BATTLE FOR SENATE MAJORITY
Senate Republicans currently hold a 53-47 majority. If Democrats are able to flip Maine and North Carolina, they would still...
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Would you like to vote for ‘Dumb’... Or... ‘Dumber’???
D-oh!
We need Collins. Get over it.
Mills-79 years old in ‘27. These people live for this crap. They have no problem recruiting their big name candidates as the money is more available and so is the fire-in-the-belly element-add the MSM. We need to defeat them everywhere we can as too many of our strongest candidates don’t step up-cowardly. Think Kemp, Sununu, Youngkin. Any others?
Remember I said strongest-I didn’t say best.
So you’ll be voting for ‘Dumb’?
Makes sense.
SSDD.
Deep State wins either way.
Maine needs to stop allowing Deep State to select their candidates for them, get rid of RCV, and secure their damned elections.
Abortion
Campaign for Working Families
57%
2019-2020
NARAL Pro-Choice America
70%
2021
National Right to Life Committee
0%
2023-2024
Planned Parenthood Action Fund
100%
2023-2024
Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America
0%
2023-2024
They will dance the night away, cheek to cheek, neither leading.
Maine? Not much of a difference. Very hard to support a RINO.
No more old people. If they are over 70, tell them to stand down and take a nap.
Clinging onto power (and trying for even MORE power) is obscene.
I guess you don’t want Trump to appoint any more judges
We have a very full Dance Card in Maine. Some of them are going to flame out before March 15, 2026 but the are alot of folks vieing for attention.
2026
Gubernatorial Candidates
Dems 6 Declared, 1 Exploring
Reps 9 Declared, 4 Exploring
Unenrolled 4 Declared
US Senate
Dems 10 Declared
Reps 3 Declared
Unenrolled 1 Declared
1st District Congress
Dems 1 Declared
Reps 3 Declared
Unenrolled 0 Declared
2nd District Congress
Dems 3 Declared
Reps 1 Declared
Unenrolled 0 Declared
Totals
Dem 21 Declared or exploring
Reps 20 Declared or exploring
Unenrolled 5 Declared
Grand Total 46 candidates for statewide election
For the most part, Collins is a follower and votes how she is told to vote.
Susan Collins doesn’t win because of RCV.
In Maine, if a candidate receives 50% + 1 vote, RCV doesn’t enter into the picture at all.
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