US EditionMaine Gov. Mills will announce challenge to Sen. Collins in key 2026 Senate contest, AP sources say
Janet Mills, urged by Democratic leaders, aims to unseat Susan Collins in a key battleground where Democrats need four seats to retake Senate majority, officials say.
- Janet Mills, Maine's two-term Democratic governor, will run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Susan Collins in the 2026 election, according to sources on Friday.
- Mills' decision follows encouragement from national Democratic leaders, who saw her as the top candidate to unseat Collins and gain a critical seat for their uphill quest for a Senate majority.
- Mills, who began her trailblazing legal career in Maine in the 1970s and later served as attorney general, joins several Democrats already campaigning, including oyster farmer Graham Platner.
- Senator Bernie Sanders publicly supported Platner as “a great working class candidate…who will defeat Susan Collins” and criticized party leaders for pushing Mills to run.
- The race in Maine draws attention as it is the only 2026 Senate contest where a Republican incumbent defends a seat in a state won last year by Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
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Maine Gov. Janet Mills set to challenge Susan Collins for US Senate seat
Maine Gov. Janet Mills is expected to announce her bid for US Senate on Tuesday, becoming the most high-profile Democrat to date to enter the race to challenge GOP Sen. Susan Collins, according to a source familiar with the plans.
Gov. Mills to announce Senate bid next week
With the state facing a projected $450 million deficit over the next two years, Gov. Janet Mills outlined her budget proposal, which includes some tax increases as well as cuts to health-related programs. (Photo by Jim Neuger/ Maine Morning Star)This story will be updated. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills is supposed to announce a run for U.S. Senate next week, in an attempt to unseat Republican Susan Collins. On Friday, the online news publication…
Mills to announce challenge to Collins in key 2026 Senate contest
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta. Photo by Robert F. Bukaty of the Associated Press.This story was reported by Patrick Whittle and Thomas Beaumont of the Associated Press and has been republished by The Maine Monitor as part of a content sharing arrangement between the two newsrooms. Maine’s two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills will run for the U.S. Senate seat hel…
Associated Press News
Maine Gov. Mills will announce challenge to Sen. Collins in key 2026 Senate contest, AP sources say
Maine’s two-term Democratic Gov. Janet Mills will run for the U.S. Senate seat held by veteran Republican Sen. Susan Collins next year.
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