77-year-old Democrat enters race to unseat Republican — but first he must beat a Bernie-backed oyster farmer
Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills launched a Senate bid Tuesday, aiming to unseat Maine’s longtime Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in a race that could determine control of the upper chamber in the midterms.
Mills, a term-limited governor, officially declared her candidacy after coming under pressure from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to enter the race. The 77-year-old Senate candidate will begin the campaign with near-universal recognition and support from the established wing of the Democratic Party, but will have to weather competitive primaries from several far-left opponents, including an oyster insurrectionist backed by independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. (RELATED: Democrat enters crowded key Senate race, troubled waters and help for GOP incumbent)
The expected announcement comes after Mills’ campaign appeared to mistakenly declare his candidacy in an announcement video and fundraising page removed since Friday.
“My friends, do you want Democrats to take back the Senate? » Mills said in the video which briefly appeared on his social media. “Well, I’m Governor Janet Mills and I’m running to turn Maine’s Senate seat blue.”
Although Mills will likely enter the primary race as the favorite given her tenure leading Maine Democrats, several political newcomers are vying to take her down and argue that they are best positioned to take on Collins in the general election.
Graham Platner, 41, an oyster farmer and Navy veteran who Sanders supports, is working to shore up support among the party’s left wing.
Jordan Wood, a former congressional aide to Katie Porter, now the Democratic candidate for governor, also vowed to stay in the race even if Mills declared his candidacy.
Platner is considered the most serious candidate to challenge Mills because of his support from the party’s left — including support from former Labor Secretary Robert Reich and California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna — and grassroots enthusiasm.
The showdown between Mills and the Sanders-backed candidate could highlight divisions among Democrats over generational change and support for Israel — two issues currently troubling the party as it strategizes a return to power.
Sanders notably called on Mills to drop out of the race, arguing that the first clash between Platner and the governor would be “unnecessary and divisive.”
Leaders We Deserve, a controversial group working to elect younger, more progressive Democrats, endorsed Platner’s campaign Monday night alongside various other youth rights organizations. Leaders We Deserve is founded by activist David Hogg, 25.
Platner made anti-Israel messages central to his campaign message and accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing genocide in Gaza. He also refused to support Schumer as Democratic leader.
Platner raised $3.2 million during the third fundraising quarter, which runs from July to September, Axios first reported.
The winner of the Democratic primary could have a hard time ousting Collins, who has a proven track record of winning close races during his five terms in the Senate. She defied a slew of polls in 2020 to win in 2020 by nearly nine percentage points, although President Donald Trump lost the state by the same margin.
Collins is the only Republican incumbent representing a state won by former Vice President Kamala Harris last November.
Democratic groups are still expected to spend aggressively to defeat the incumbent senator, as it would likely be impossible to regain control of the Senate without winning in Maine.
WASHINGTON, DC – SEPTEMBER 30: Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) takes a phone call as she leaves the United States Capitol on September 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. If lawmakers fail to reach a bipartisan compromise, the federal government will shut down at midnight. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Mills is also expected to face scrutiny regarding his age in the primary contest. She would be the longest serving freshman senator in United States history if elected to the Senate in 2026.
“Janet Mills is ten years older than me, and now I wonder why I decided not to run for Congress next year because I didn’t want to be part of the problem of aging in Congress,” former Pennsylvania Democratic Rep. Susan Wild, who lost her re-election bid in 2024, wrote on Friday on first term.”
However, Mills pointed to her viral clash with the president over transgender policies in education and sports earlier this year as evidence of her willingness to fight Trump and congressional Republicans in her campaign announcement video. Mills has so far rejected the Trump administration’s interpretation of Title IX, which prohibits biological males from competing on girls’ and women’s sports teams in school sports programs.
“We stood up to Trump and stopped him from eliminating the school lunch program for Maine’s children,” Mills said in the ad, referring to the Trump administration’s threats to withhold federal funding over the state’s transgender policies.
National Republican groups will likely highlight their concerns about Mills’ age and his left-leaning record as governor as they work to re-elect Collins. The outgoing senator has not officially declared her candidacy for a sixth term, but has said she intends to seek re-election.
“Janet Mills wants to become the oldest freshman senator in American history after a record of failure that left Maine one of the weakest economies in New England,” National Republican Senatorial Committee communications director Joanna Rodriguez said in a statement.
“The one thing Mills has gotten right in his career is praising the effective and proven leadership of Sen. Susan Collins,” Senate Leadership Fund Executive Director Alex Latcham said Tuesday. “So while Democrats fight among themselves, Senator Collins will continue to do what she has always done: working for Maine families.”
Before serving two terms as Maine’s first female governor, Mills was a former state legislator and attorney general.
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