Graham Platner speaks at a news conference announcing the Maine AFL-CIO endorsement of him in Portland on Friday. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)
Thursday’s announcement from Gov. Janet Mills that she is dropping out of the U.S. Senate race opened the door for Maine Democrats to endorse Sullivan oysterman Graham Platner in his bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
Most jumped at the chance.
While a few notable officials are still holding off on publicly backing Platner, Democrats at the local, state and national levels now largely accept the 41-year-old Marine veteran and progressive as their best choice to beat Collins, a five-term Republican, in November.
Although Mills cited funding issues as the reason she suspended her campaign Thursday, she had been struggling for months to pick up momentum. Platner had led Mills in public polling, and he has drawn bigger fundraising hauls and bigger crowds than the Democratic governor who is termed out this year.
Brunswick Democrat David Costello, who previously worked in government roles in Maryland and at the since-dismantled U.S. Agency for International Development, remains in the U.S. Senate primary, but has struggled to gain traction.
Here’s a look at some of the more noteworthy figures who have either endorsed Platner since Thursday or who have not endorsed him. It does not include the array of labor unions and policy groups also backing Platner.
Gov. Janet Mills
The governor did not back Platner in her statement on suspending her campaign. Mills campaign spokesperson Tommy Garcia said she “will continue to hear and watch how Graham Platner works to earn the support of Maine voters, just as she will keep a close eye on Maine’s congressional and gubernatorial primaries as well.”
Garcia added that Mills, who for years has had a friendly relationship with Collins, will not vote for the Republican senator in November, and has never voted for her in the past.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer
Schumer, a New York Democrat, had worked to recruit Mills to run for the Senate this year as part of his effort to flip the chamber that has a narrow GOP advantage. His Mills strategy did not pay off and left Democrats questioning the wisdom of it.
Schumer is now behind Platner in his bid to beat Collins.
Platner said he spoke with Schumer by phone Thursday and that they agree on wanting to unseat the Republican incumbent — though Platner added he continues to feel Schumer should no longer serve as the caucus leader.
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Democratic National Committee
The national campaign arm for Senate Democrats along with the Democratic National Committee joined Schumer in backing Platner after Mills’ announcement.
“After years of allowing Trump’s abuses of power, Senator Collins has never been more vulnerable, and we will work with the presumptive Democratic nominee Graham Platner to defeat her,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, who chairs the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said Thursday in a joint statement with Schumer.
U.S. Sen. Angus King
Maine’s junior senator “historically doesn’t weigh in on races involving his colleagues,” King spokesperson Matt Felling said Friday.
King, a former governor and independent who caucuses with Democrats, has served with Collins since he first won election to the Senate in 2012. While King is opting to not opine on the race involving Collins, she did not do the same during King’s 2024 reelection race that he won comfortably over former Maine Republican Party Chair Demi Kouzounas.
Collins recruited Kouzounas to run that year against King, who responded at the time by saying he was “disappointed” in the move.
U.S. Reps. Jared Golden and Chellie Pingree
Rep. Jared Golden, a 2nd District Democrat and former Collins staffer who is not seeking reelection this year, is not making an endorsement in the Senate race, his office said Friday.
“I trust that the people of Maine are smart and can make their own choices about who to send to Washington,” Golden said in a statement.
Rep. Chellie Pingree, a 1st District Democrat who is expected to once again coast to reelection this year, did not mention Platner in a statement Thursday that focused on praising Mills.
“I have no doubt that history will remember her as one of the best governors our state has ever had and that her legacy and impact will continue to shape our state for generations to come,” Pingree said.
Maine gubernatorial candidates
The field of five Democratic gubernatorial candidates who are hoping to succeed Mills put out varying statements in support of the governor after her Thursday announcement.
Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson had already backed Platner’s campaign and appeared alongside him at events. Former Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention Director Nirav Shah and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows got behind Platner Thursday.
Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree, who worked under Mills by leading the governor’s policy office, put out a statement praising Mills while not mentioning Platner.
“The Governor’s decision today is emblematic of who she is: someone who is not afraid to make a tough call for the greater good,” Pingree, the daughter of the 1st District congresswoman, said.
Angus King III, a former clean energy executive and son of Maine’s junior senator, also complimented Mills in a statement while nodding to Platner as the expected nominee.
“From now to the primary and beyond, I look forward to working with our presumptive nominee Graham Platner to bring people together and make sure we win in November,” King said.
2nd Congressional District candidates
State Sen. Joe Baldacci, D-Bangor, State Auditor Matt Dunlap, social worker Paige Loud and ex-Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood are the Democrats running in this year’s closely watched race to determine who succeeds Golden in the House of Representatives. Former Gov. Paul LePage is the Republican nominee awaiting his Democratic challenger.
The Democrats mostly coalesced around Platner after Mills decided to suspend her campaign. Their district, which covers the northern half of the state, is an important one for Platner to perform well in given it has supported President Donald Trump in his three elections.
“Sen. Baldacci and Graham had a very friendly call. They agreed to do an cannoli/oyster swap this summer when they are both the nominees,” Baldacci campaign spokesperson Jared Bornstein said.
Dunlap and Wood also essentially endorsed Platner in different statements. Loud, who has been running behind the others in polling and fundraising, has not publicly endorsed Platner.
