AUGUSTA — Gov. Janet Mills announced a run for the U.S. Senate today, ending months of speculation and setting up a potential showdown with Republican Sen. Susan Collins in 2026.
“Honestly, if this president and this Congress were doing things that were even remotely acceptable, I wouldn’t be running for the U.S. Senate,” Mills said in a video released Tuesday morning.
If she wins a multi-candidate primary in June, Mills, 77, will likely face Collins, 72, in November of next year in what will be a closely watched race not only in Maine but nationally.
Collins’ seat is one of four Democrats need to flip to take control of the Senate in the midterms.
The Mills’ campaign video announcement is a mix of biographical details, highlighting her credentials as the first woman governor and first female attorney general in state history.
But it also highlights Mills’ highly publicized confrontation with President Donald Trump in February, when he called out Maine for its policy of allowing transgender girls to participate in high school sports.
Trump threatened to withhold federal funding if Maine continued to refuse to comply with a recently signed executive order.
Gov. Janet Mills speaks to reporters after a recent event at the Augusta Civic Center. (Spectrum News file photo)
Mills responded: “See you in court.”
Maine GOP Chairman Jim Deyermond released a statement just prior to the Mills announcing her candidacy, in which he said attacked Mills’ policies and positions and said she was “hand-picked” by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
For months, Mills has been coy about whether she intended to run for Senate, downplaying — but not ruling out — the idea last November in an interview with the Portland Press Herald.
But by summer, she seemed to warm to the idea, telling reporters she was “seriously considering” it.
In the meantime, several other Democrats filed to run for the seat, including oyster farmer Graham Platner, former congressional aide Jordan Wood and Maine Beer Company owner Dan Kleban.
All are outspoken critics of Collins, while Mills appeared reluctant to criticize Maine’s senior senator in September when asked to assess her performance in Washington.
“She’s in a tough position,” Mills told reporters in Waterville. “I appreciate everything she is doing.”
Mills adopted a more aggressive tone in the Tuesday video, saying Collins helped Trump overturn abortion access in Roe v. Wade by voting to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. She also linked Collins to decisions by Trump to cut Medicaid and increasing prices driven by tariffs.
“I won’t sit idly by while Maine people suffer and politicians like Susan Collins bend the knee as if this were normal,” Mills said.