Maine Senate Race: Gov. Mills Urges Defeat of Sen. Susan Collins

Governor Janet Mills of Maine declined to endorse Democratic Senate candidate Troy Jackson, but reiterated that Republican Sen. Susan Collins should be defeated. Collins has historically won re‑election in the blue‑leaning state, even in years that favored Democrats. Mills lost the Democratic primary to Graham Platner, who later withdrew amid scandal, prompting the state party to back former state Senate president Troy Jackson as the nominee.

A Portland Press Herald columnist later sparked controversy by first claiming Collins’ 2020 victory was not a nine‑point landslide, then conceding the election was indeed a nine‑point win. The column highlighted the use of a hypothetical ranked‑choice scenario to argue the result, before reversing the argument and asserting Collins’ solid margin.

Both pieces underscore the heightened scrutiny of Collins’ seat ahead of the November election and the Democratic efforts to unseat the long‑serving moderate Republican.