Gov. Janet Mills shares remarks at a Harris campaign presidential debate watch party in Portland on Sept. 10, 2024. (Photo by Emma Davis/ Maine Morning Star)
Maine Gov. Janet Mills appears poised to announce a run for U.S. Senate against Republican Susan Collins. In recent weeks, the Democratic governor has been crisscrossing the state, visiting local businesses and leaders, and reportedly interviewing campaign managers to help with her Senate bid.
This comes after months of pressure from national Democratic leaders, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, for whom flipping Collins’ seat remains one of the only paths to gaining a Democratic majority in the chamber.
I understand why they have zeroed in on Mills as their chosen fighter after she gained national attention for confronting President Donald Trump (with a merch-ready tagline to boot), and it’s clear they are eager to thrust her into the ring.
But I want to caution the party against getting over their skis here as Maine voters, Democrats in particular, have been burnt before when the establishment chose a candidate without allowing a primary to play out.
Graham Platner and other Democratic candidates are garnering interest that spans from curiosity to fandom.
Mills is a known entity with a proven record of being a champion of reproductive rights and public health. While she would likely be a solid Democratic vote in Congress, her history on issues including labor rights, gun safety and tribal sovereignty, among others, has left many voters frustrated.
At the same time, many of her likely challengers — Platner, Jordan Wood, Dan Kleban, Daira Smith-Rodriguez — are untested and have a lot of work to do to win Mainers’ support. The more we learn about their platforms, the more opportunity there will be for disagreement.
But with so much hand-wringing about the Democratic Party’s favorability problem (which currently has a polling average of 33.5%), it would behoove those at the top to see who is connecting with voters and who they are excited about before calling the race a done deal.
If there’s one thing we can take from the 2020 Senate race in Maine, when party leaders endorsed Sara Gideon one day after she announced her candidacy, it’s that it takes more than a hefty war chest to best Collins.
It’s very possible that Mills could win the primary on her own. She’s a savvy politician and an experienced leader. But if that’s not what Maine voters are asking for, the national party would be smart to listen.