On Tuesday, Oct. 14, Maine’s Governor Janet Mills (D) announced her campaign to represent Maine in the U.S Senate. Her campaign joins the other 13 candidates vying for the Class 2 Senate seat in what could be the most competitive election of 2026.
This run didn’t come out of nowhere. Mills explained that her high-profile advocacy for Mainers in Feb. 2025 launched her name and platform to a national level. Recruited by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Mills is exactly the type of candidate that the party wants. She has experience, national acclaim, popularity and the ability to raise money. Within 24 hours of her announcement, she raised $1 million with the help of a joint fundraiser with the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
Although Mills offers a high-profile and experienced candidacy, some Mainers met her announcement with frustration towards the Democratic Party. “I’m kind of worried about [Janet Mills] to be honest with you, because I think a lot of her policies don’t get put through, and a lot of them sort of just get overturned,” commented Ellie M. ‘26. “In my opinion, I would rather have … newer members, younger generations… in the Senate,” said Ellie M. ‘26.
“I don’t want Susan Collins representing me anymore,” Patrick Berbon ‘26 said.
Bernie Sanders denounced the endorsement, instead putting his support behind Graham Platner (D).
Before the Senate race, these candidates will have to win Maine’s open primary election in June 2026 to determine who will be at the top of the Democratic and Republican ticket to oppose incumbent Susan Collins (R).
Although tradition holds that the non-party-endorsed candidates back out and resign and support the party-endorsed candidate, tension between the two groups has only increased. Dan Kleban, founder of Maine Beer Company, announced his resignation and endorsement of Mills on Oct. 15, 2025. However, two Democratic candidates with strong platforms have stated their intention not to drop out.
Platner, an oysterman and veteran from Sullivan, Maine, and Jordan Wood, an experienced politician from Bristol, Maine, have both signaled their intention to stay in the race. Platner has also addressed the unfair advantage that Mills could have with the support of the Democratic Party.
“I’m really pro the oyster farmer. I feel like he’s real… [Susan Collins] has been in there too long… Let’s get someone new in there,” Lauren Cockrill ‘26 noted.
“Graham Platner… he is a new [candidate] that is different from a lot of people who have run before. I mean, he’s left, he’s younger, but also there’s some controversial stuff about him recently,” Ryan Anderson ‘28 said
The primary elections are a test for candidates and their platforms, as shown in Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s win against incumbent Democrat Joe Crowley, or recently, Zohran Mamdani’s NYC Mayoral campaign. Whether the candidates’ appeal shows or the government suffers under the two-party system, the race has only begun.
