What do a longstanding RINO Republican, a 77-year-old Democratic Governor, and a rural oyster farmer all have in common?
Nothing! But the trio could determine whether Republicans or Democrats control the Senate in the next midterm elections.
As previously reported by The Horn News late last week, Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills made good on her promise by launching a Senate bid on Tuesday, aiming to unseat longtime incumbent Republican Maine Sen. and Donald Trump critic Susan Collins in a critical race that may determine control of the Senate during the upcoming midterms.
Mills, a term-limited governor, officially declared her candidacy after being lobbied by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to enter the race.
The 77-year old will begin the campaign with near universal name recognition and the backing of the establishment wing of the Democratic Party, but will have to fend off competitive primary challenges from several far-left opponents including an insurgent oyster farmer endorsed by Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Mills’ shock announcement comes after her campaign appeared to mistakenly declare her candidacy in a since-deleted announcement video and fundraising page last Friday.
“Folks, do you want Democrats to take back the Senate?” Mills said in the video that briefly appeared on her social media. “Well, I’m Gov. Janet Mills, and I’m running to flip Maine’s Senate seat blue.”
Insiders believe Mills will likely start the primary contest as an early favorite given her tenure leading Maine Democrats.
However, a handful of political newcomers are vying to take her down and are making the case they are best-suited to face Collins in the general election.
This included Bernie Sanders-backed oyster farmer and Marine veteran Graham Platner.
The 41-year-old is working to consolidate support among the party’s left.
Another newcomer looking to galvanize Democratic support is Jordan Wood, a 36 year-old former congressional aide to embattled now-Democratic gubernatorial candidate Katie Porter, has also vowed to stay in the race even if Mills declared her candidacy.
Platner is viewed as the strongest contender to challenge Mills due to his endorsements from the left of the party — including support from former Labor Secretary Robert Reich and Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna — and enthusiasm among the grassroots.
Mills’ candidacy has already started to create a rift amongst Maine voters.
Sanders recently called on Mills to pass on the race, arguing the primary clash between Platner and the governor would be “unnecessary & divisive.”
Leaders We Deserve, a controversial group working to elect younger, more progressive Democrats, endorsed Platner’s campaign alongside various other youth advocacy organizations on Monday evening.
Leaders We Deserve is founded by 25 year-old liberal activist David Hogg.
Platner has pushed controversial, anti-Israel messaging and has accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing genocide in Gaza.
He has also declined to back Schumer as Democratic leader, which many youngers, more progressive Democrats have been aligning with as well.
According to Axios, Platner raised $3.2 million in the third fundraising quarter, which runs from July to September.
The winner of the Democratic primary contest could struggle to oust Collins, who has a proven track record of winning tight races over her five Senate terms.
However, Collins could be very vulnerable heading into the next election.
As previously reported by The Horn News, Collins’ overall approval rating amongst Maine voters is at an all-time low.
As part of its quarterly poll of Senator’s approval ratings, Morning Consult shows the favorability of the longtime Maine senator, now 72, to be the worst ever.
According to the recent poll, a whopping 54% of Maine voters disapprove of Collins’ job performance, marking a high point for her disapproval in the Morning Consult survey’s eight-year history.
By contrast, only 38% of voters in the state approve of her performance in office.
The new numbers for Collins are a sharp downturn from the last quarterly poll conducted by The Morning Consult survey from the fourth quarter of 2024, which showed 44% of Maine voters disapproved of Collins.
And an ever further decline from the third quarter of 2024, where only 42% disapproved, according to the Morning Consult’s poll at the time.
The decline of Collins’ approval ratings in the Morning Consult survey comes after she opposed Trump on key elements of his agenda.
Pay close attention to this race as it could have major implications of the future of the Senate.