As Mills Enters Maine Senate Race, Platner Says Election Is Fight to 'Retake Our Party' for Working Class

After weeks of speculation and reports that Democratic Senate Leader Chuck Schumer was privately calling on Maine Gov. Janet Mills to enter the race to unseat longtime Republican lawmaker Susan Collins—despite considerable energy surrounding the candidacy of progressive veteran and oyster farmer Graham Platner—Mills announced her primary run Tuesday.

Mills highlighted her public sparring with President Donald Trump earlier this year and positioned her run as one that would focus on standing up to "bullies" like Trump, who threatened to cut off Maine's federal funding if it allowed transgender youths to play on team sports that correspond with their identities.

She also pledged to "fight back" against efforts by Trump and Republicans in Congress—including Collins, who has represented Maine since 1997—to slash healthcare for millions of Americans while handing out tax cuts to corporations and the richest Americans.

"This election is going to be a simple choice: Is Maine going to bow down, or stand up?" said Mills.

But before Mainers decide whether to stick with Collins or unseat her in favor of a Democratic senator, they are set to choose the Democratic nominee next June—and despite being a political novice, Platner has generated excitement across the state since announcing his candidacy in August.

Platner has centered his campaign on naming "the enemy" shared by Mainers and Americans from all walks of life: not immigrants, transgender people, or other frequent targets of the Trump administration, but the oligarchy. He's also been unapologetically outspoken in his condemnation of the US-backed Israeli assault on Gaza and over the weekend said that should he win a Senate seat, "there will be consequences" for those who have led federal immigration agents' violent incursion in US cities.

Platner has garnered endorsements and enthusiasm from lawmakers including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)—who recently criticized reports that Schumer was pushing for a Mills run—and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who called his campaign "pretty impressive" and "killer" recently.

He's also proven to be a formidable fundraiser, pulling in more than $4 million since launching his campaign in August, and has spoken to overflow crowds in cities and towns across Maine.

Recent polling has shown Platner outperforming Mills by 21 points among Trump voters, 13 points among voters aged 18-44, and 10 points in rural parts of northern and western Maine.

On Tuesday, Platner released a statement welcoming Mills "into this race" and focusing on the fight to unseat Collins.

"I have held over 20 town halls in every corner of Maine, from Rumford to Madawaska to Portland," he said. "Everywhere I hear the same thing: People are ready for change. They know the system is broken and they know that politicians who have been working in the system for years, like Susan Collins, are not going to fix it.”

But he also released his own ad, pledging to keep up the momentum in order to "retake our party and turn it back into the party of the working class."

"We either organize and build power and fight, or we lose," Platner told a crowd in the video.

Ryan Grim of Drop Site News posited that the entrance of Mills into the race could be "to Platner's advantage" and may underscore his independent streak.

"By beating her (and Schumer) Platner can solidify the impression that he is independent of the party, whose brand is fatally toxic," said Grim.