Graham Platner Surge Threatens Susan Collins As Janet Mills Bows Out

Maine Governor Janet Mills, a Democrat, ended her Senate campaign on Thursday, setting up a general election between progressive Democrat Graham Platner and incumbent GOP Senator Susan Collins in the critical November election.

The Senate race in Maine is a top Democratic target and is widely expected to be among the most compettitive in the midterm elections. Mills’ announcement is a blow for Collins, as polling has given Platner a wider lead over her compared to Mills. RealClearPolitics' polling aggregate shows him with an average 7.6 point lead over Collins as of Thursday morning. At the same time, Collins held a 0.2 point lead over Mills in the polling average.

Maine backed former Vice President Kamala Harris by about 7 points in the 2024 presidential race and is generally viewed as having a Democratic lean, but an independent streak. Collins has managed to win reelection in the past despite the state's partisanship due to her personal popularity and bipartisan credentials. Democrats believe she may be in for her toughest race yet due to President Donald Trump's declining popularity nationwide.

Janet Mills Suspends Senate Campaign

Mills announced she would suspend her campaign on Thursday.

"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. That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate," she wrote in a statement.

Platner had carved out a lead in Democratic primary polls against Mills.

Susan Collins v. Graham Platner: What Polls Show

A recent Emerson College poll gave Platner a lead over Collins. In that poll, 48 percent of respondents said they would back Platner compared to 41 percent who said they would cast their vote for Collins. It surveyed 1,075 likely voters from March 21-23, 2026 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

This is a breaking news story. Updates will follow.

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This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 9:31 AM.