Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced she is suspending her campaign for the U.S. Senate, citing a lack of financial resources despite her continued commitment to the race.
"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," 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."
Mills, a Democrat and two-term governor, had been competing in a crowded primary field seeking to challenge Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a high-stakes 2026 race.
Mills entered the race last year as a top Democrat recruit, backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and national liberal groups aiming to unseat Collins and flip control of the closely divided Senate.
However, she struggled to gain traction against first-time candidate Graham Platner ahead of the June 9 Democrat primary. Platner has drawn attention for past online comments and a tattoo widely associated with a Nazi symbol, even as he maintained support among some voters.
“Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats just coronated a phony who is too extreme for Maine. Susan Collins has always put in the work for her constituents and delivered. Washington Democrats always fall short in Maine and will again, because they just nominated a dishonest radical,” NRSC Chairman Tim Scott said Thursday in a statement.
Mills did not endorse Platner when suspending her campaign, instead pledging to continue serving as governor and defending constitutional principles for the remainder of her term.
Schumer and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chair Kirsten Gillibrand said they will back Platner as the party’s candidate, emphasizing their goal of winning a Senate majority.
Platner has received backing from Sen. Bernie Sanders and several progressive Democrat senators.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.