ME-SEN: Democrats see Maine governor as best option to unseat Susan Collins

[RandySF]

Eyes in Maine are on Gov. Janet Mills (D) as Democrats await a final decision from her on whether she will challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), their top target in the 2026 midterms.

Mills, subject to months of speculation about a possible Senate run as she’s unable to seek a third term in office, is viewed as perhaps Democrats’ best chance of finally ousting Collins after several failed attempts in the past. She cast some doubt in April about whether she would run, though she didn’t definitively rule it out.

Democrats likely face an uphill battle to defeat Collins regardless, but they believe the two-term governor could be the ideal candidate to take on the longtime senator.

“She’s demonstrated twice that she is able to win statewide. There’s not too many people in the state that can say that. She’s got a long record in public office. Mainers know her. They like her,” said David Farmer, a Democratic consultant who worked for former Gov. John Baldacci (D). “They’re energized by the fact that she stood up to the president, not because she wanted to, but because he singled her out.”


https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5355134-maine-senate-race-2026/