Janet Mills ends Senate campaign in Maine, paving way for Graham Platner

Politics Janet Mills ends Senate campaign in Maine, paving way for Graham Platner to win Democratic nomination By Caroline Linton Caroline Linton Associate Managing Editor, Politics Caroline Linton is an associate managing editor on the political team for CBSNews.com. She has previously written for The Daily Beast, Newsweek and amNewYork. Read Full Bio Caroline Linton Updated on: April 30, 2026 / 9:26 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced Thursday that she is suspending her campaign for Senate, all but ensuring Graham Platner will get the Democratic nomination to take on incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine in one of November's most important Senate races."While I have the drive and the 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 require today: the financial resources," Mills said in a statement. Maine is a top target for Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections, since Collins is the only Republican senator from a state that former Vice President Kamala Harris won in 2024.Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had recruited Mills, the only Democrat to have won statewide in Maine in 25 years, to challenge Collins. But her age — she will be 79 when a new Congress convenes next year — had been a concern for Democrats in the state. Platner, a 41-year-old oyster farmer and political newcomer, announced he would challenge her for the nomination. An Emerson College poll in March found Platner leading Mills by 27 points, a sign of the strength of his campaign. Platner raised $4 million in the first three months of 2026 alone. In a statement reacting to Mills' decision to drop out, Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the head of the Senate's campaign arm, called her a "formidable governor," and said they would work to support Platner's campaign."Democrats are dedicated t...