Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday suspended her campaign for the U.S. Senate, clearing the way for Graham Platner to win the Democratic nomination.
“While I have the drive and 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 unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” Ms. Mills said in a statement. “That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate.”
The announcement sets the table for Mr. Platner to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the November election in a race Democrats likely need to win to have any hope of flipping the U.S. Senate.
Ms. Mills struggled to gain much traction in the race despite support from Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and being well-liked by Democrats during her decades in the public arena.
Mr. Platner has said Mr. Schumer should step down as leader. His campaign for U.S. Senate is backed by the party’s far-left wing, including Sens. Bernard Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
A former Marine and oyster farmer, Mr. Platner has been a political force, tapping into the left wing of the party’s populist desires and a broader appetite for a new generation of leaders.
He has also continued gaining steam amid ongoing questions about a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol.
The Schumer-aligned Senate Majority PAC said Ms Collins’ days are numbered, and that it has reserved more than $20 million in airtime.
“Susan Collins will be defeated in November. Her years of voting against Maine families have left her in the weakest and most vulnerable position of her career,” said the group’s spokesperson, Lauren French. “In contrast, Graham Platner has brought a new energy to the campaign, and we will continue our fight to defeat Collins with him as the presumptive nominee.”
Republicans, meanwhile, pounced on the news.
“Democrats’ presumptive Senate nominee in Maine is a self-proclaimed communist with a literal Nazi tattoo,” said Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican National Convention. “Chuck Schumer, Elizabeth Warren, and the rest of their leadership are already embracing this nut job.
“Mainers deserve better,” he said.
Maine GOP Chair Jim Deyermond said Maine voters now face a stark choice this fall.
“Option 1, Susan Collins, who represents all Mainers and cares deeply for our state. Senator Collins uses her position on the Appropriations Committee to secure funding for Maine’s fire stations, bridges, rural hospitals, and more,” he said. “Option 2, the racist, nazi-sympathizing, fake blue-collar Graham Platner, who is more concerned about promoting his dangerous ideologies than serving the hardworking people of Maine.”
Mr. Platner told reporters he spoke with Ms. Mills, thanked her for her many decades of public service, and said he looks forward to working with her closely over the coming months.
“The governor and I have been essentially engaged in the same project, which is eventually meeting Susan Collins in November,” he said.
