Maine Governor Janet Mills (D) officially announced Tuesday her candidacy for U.S. Senate, aiming to challenge Republican incumbent Susan Collins in the next midterm. At 77, Mills said her experience has equipped her to take on the race. “My life’s work has prepared me for this fight,” she declared in her campaign launch video.
Mills is viewed as the Democrats’ strongest contender to flip the seat and help regain Senate control. She joins a crowded field of Democratic challengers, including Graham Platner, Jordan Wood, and Dan Kleban. As Maine’s first female governor and prior attorney general, Mills secured re-election in 2022 but is barred by term limits from running again for governor.
Collins, seeking her sixth Senate term, remains a powerful figure in Maine politics despite facing criticism from both parties. Mills wasted no time framing the contest: she attacked Collins as complicit in President Trump’s agenda. “Donald Trump is ripping away health care … and Susan Collins is helping him,” she said.
Mills has clashed with Trump before, refusing to enforce his directive on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports. In recent governor meetings, she challenged him directly: “See you in court,” she told the president.
The Maine GOP pushed back hard, calling Mills a “hand‑picked” Schumer nominee who is too liberal for the state’s traditionally moderate electorate. GOP Chairman Jim Deyermond accused her of siding with the transgender lobby at the expense of Maine families.
Still, Democrats are betting Mills’ broad statewide appeal and established record will give her a strong shot in what’s already shaping up as a high-stakes contest.
