This story will be updated.
Gov. Janet Mills announced today that she is suspending her campaign for the U.S. Senate, ending speculation about the viability of her candidacy as she struggled to gain ground against oyster farmer Graham Platner in the Democratic primary.
Her announcement shakes up a pivotal race that Democrats see as critical to their chances of gaining the majority in the U.S. Senate. Mills was recruited by Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who viewed the two-term governor as the best candidate to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in November. But the governor struggled to match Platner's momentum after he launched his campaign in August last year.
The contest between Mills and Platner also became a proxy battle for generational and governing divisions within the Democratic party that became more acute after the President Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election.
In a statement, the governor said she doesn't have the financial resources to continue her candidacy.
“Over the past six months, I have had the privilege of campaigning across Maine and doing what I love most: meeting with Maine people. I am grateful beyond words for the outpouring of love and support I have received from folks in every corner of the state, from Madawaska to Kittery, from Rangeley to Eastport," Mills said. “I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources. That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate. I step back from campaigning with unending love, admiration, and hope for Maine people — a people whose hearts are filled with love and whose integrity and humility is surpassed only by their kindness, generosity, and compassion."
Her announcement follows widespread speculation about the viability of her campaign as she falls further behind political newcomer Graham Platner in polls and fundraising. She stopped running television ads April 10.
Platner has already pivoted to the general election, where he hopes to topple Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
Platner will still have to defeat David Costello in the Democratic primary on June 9, but the oyster farmer has a significant lead in that head-to-head matchup as well.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee quickly announced that it will support Platner's candidacy, meaning the insurgent won't face the massive Republican operation working to reelect Collins alone.
“Janet Mills is a formidable governor who has broken barriers and never hesitates to stand up to bullies to fight for Maine. We are grateful for her hard-fought and principled campaign, and we respect her decision to continue her service to Maine as Governor," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said in a statement. “Democrats are dedicated to fighting back against the chaos of the Trump administration by defeating the Republicans who enable his harmful agenda and that includes Susan Collins. After years of allowing Trump’s abuses of power, Senator Collins has never been more vulnerable and we will work with the presumptive Democratic nominee Graham Platner to defeat her."
Mills has served two terms as Maine's governor and was the first woman elected to the office. She is also the first woman elected as the state attorney general.
She is set to leave office in January because she is term-limited. There are currently five Democrats and seven Republicans in the race to succeed her at the state capitol in Augusta.
Platner, meanwhile, has become something of a political sensation since emerging from obscurity last year. He's drawn large crowds to more than 60 town halls, the lifeblood of his candidacy and a tool to recruit volunteers for the movement he says he's building.
