Gov. Janet Mills speaks during a press conference on April 17 with Planned Parenthood Northern New England. (Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer)
Gov. Janet Mills is reminding voters that her name is still on the ballot in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate.
The statement comes as the presumptive nominee, Graham Platner, has come under fire for sexting several women after getting married in 2023 and for online posts on Reddit.
Platner, a 41-year-old political newcomer, became the presumptive Democratic nominee to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins after Mills suspended her campaign in late April. Long-shot challenger David Costello is also on the ballot, and Andrea LaFlamme is mounting a write-in campaign for the Democratic nomination.
“People have the impression that I ‘withdrew’ or ‘dropped out,’” Mills told Press Herald columnist Steve Collins on Sunday, “but I simply suspended active campaigning. I am still on the ballot.”
Mills cited a lack of money when she suspended her campaign on April 30, but she was trailing Platner by double digits in most public polling. A March survey by Emerson College had Platner up 27 points.
A poll released last week by the University New Hampshire had Mills registering at 10% support. The survey was conducted nearly a month after she suspended her campaign.
Mills’ name will remain on the ballot and votes for her will be counted because she has not filed the necessary paperwork with the Maine Department of the Secretary of State to nullify them. Unlike many prominent Maine Democrats, Mills never endorsed Platner after she dropped out of the race.
Platner continues to face scrutiny over his controversial past Reddit posts and for his tattoo that resembles a Nazi image.
He has apologized for the online posts, which included blaming sexual assault victims for their assaults and the use of slurs for disabled people and gay men. He said the posts came at a time he was struggling with depression and PTSD sustained during four combat deployments, and that the words longer reflect who is today.
And he has said he didn’t know his skull-and-crossbones tattoo resembled a Totenkopf until reporters asked about it last fall. He had the tattoo covered in October.
On Monday, Mills’ campaign account on X posted its first message since she suspended her campaign.
“Happy Pride Month, Maine!” the post said. “Everyone deserves the freedom to live authentically and marry who they love without fear. I’m proud to stand with the LGBTQ+ community, today and every day.”
