Maine Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign for Senate, saying that she didn’t have the money needed to run.
Mills was trailing in all primary polls against fellow Democrat Graham Platner, who is all but certain to take on incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in a race critical to Democrats’ chances of taking the Senate.
“While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else – the fight – to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” Mills said in a statement Thursday. “That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate.”
Mills, who launched her campaign in October, was seen as a top recruit for Senate Democrat leaders. Her launch video emphasized her high-profile clashes with President Donald Trump earlier this year over issues including transgender athletes on school sports teams.
“We stood up to Trump and stopped him from cutting the school lunch program for Maine kids,” she said. “But there are too many politicians in Washington – including Susan Collins – who have forgotten their principles and let bullies like Trump have their way. And it’s hurting Maine people. I’ve never backed down from a bully, and I never will.”
Mills, 78, would have been the oldest freshman senator ever if she had been elected.
Platner, 41, is an oyster farmer and military veteran whose past social media posts have drawn controversy. He raised $4.1 million in the first quarter of 2026.
Mills had raised $2.6 million in the same period; Collins brought in over $3 million and has more than $10 million in the bank.
Mills’ television ads had highlighted Platner’s years-old Reddit posts in which he made comments appearing to blame survivors of sexual assault in the military. Platner has apologized for his postings, saying he made them while struggling and in a bad headspace after leaving the military and returning to Maine.
Collins, 72, formally announced her campaign for a sixth term in the Senate on February 10. She’s broken with her party and Trump on key issues — in Trump’s second term, she voted against confirming some of his high-profile nominees and voted against passing his sprawling tax cut and spending package that included deep cuts to social programs used by the poorest Americans.