Maine Senate Primary Upset: Mills Withdraws, Platner Becomes Presumptive Nominee

On Thursday, Governor Janet Mills announced she was suspending her U.S. Senate campaign, ending a primary against veteran Graham Platner. Mills, a two-term governor, cited a lack of financial resources. Platner, who entered two months earlier, is now the presumptive Democratic nominee in the race the party views as essential to flip Republican Sen. Susan Collins’s seat.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer recruited Mills in early 2025 as a centerpiece of a Senate-majority plan. His record includes wins with Roy Cooper (NC), Sherrod Brown (OH) and Mary Peltola (AK) and losses such as Sara Gideon (2020) and Evan Bayh (2016). Critics say his “old-school” approach is out of step with an anti-establishment electorate.

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FEC filings show Mills entered April with about $1 million cash-on-hand; Platner raised over $4 million in Q1 and more than $12 million total. Mills stopped TV ads for three weeks and lagged in internal polls, while Platner’s cash funded a statewide ad blitz, including a super-PAC attack on Collins.

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Mills, 78, is Maine’s first woman prosecutor, attorney general and governor, and touts her experience and Planned Parenthood endorsement. Platner, 41, is a veteran and oyster farmer; his past online posts denigrating police, minimizing military sexual assault and a Nazi-symbol tattoo have been highlighted by Republicans, who released an AI-generated video of the remarks.

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Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said that after years of Trump’s abuses, Sen. Collins is “more vulnerable” and the party will work with presumptive nominee Graham Platner to defeat her. DSCC spokesperson Maeve Coyle said the campaign’s sole goal is winning a Democratic Senate majority, and Schumer told reporters the party will “take back the Senate and win Maine.”

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Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) urged Schumer to step back from primary involvement, calling his “old model of electability” out of touch. Rep. Mallory McMorrow (D-MI-13) and Amanda Litman of Run For Something warned that Schumer’s interventions “sow dissent” and are “stuck in 1996.”

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Sources cite both a $1 million cash shortfall and limited Schumer backing as reasons for Mills’ exit; age concerns are also mentioned.

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• “Schumer clearly went all out to try to recruit her. Clearly, what he thought was going to be a big thing in Maine was not,” — Senate Democrat, anonymous

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• “She got utterly fucked over by Schumer,” — Maine Democrat, anonymous

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• “Democrats really, really like Platner in Maine, but the Republicans fucking love him,” — Sen. John Fetterman

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• “The party establishment in DC doesn’t get to pick our next Senator.” — Mallory McMorrow, Rep. MI-13

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The June 9 Democratic primary will decide the final nominee; the November general election will determine whether Democrats can unseat Sen. Collins and secure a Senate majority.

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