Gov. Janet Mills' decision to end her U.S. Senate campaign on Thursday dramatically changed the dynamics of a race with major national implications.
Within hours, many prominent Democrats in Maine as well as national party leaders rallied behind Graham Platner, the Hancock County oysterman and populist who is now the presumptive nominee.
But Platner said the governor's decision doesn't change how he's running his populist and anti-establishment campaign to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins this fall.
"The race has never been about me or really about one person," Platner said. "It's about a movement of working Mainers who are fed up with being robbed by billionaires and the politicians who own them. We are now taking back our power. That is what this campaign is."
Platner was speaking a little more than two hours after Mills announced she was suspending her campaign. He was joined by nearly two dozen elected officials — most them Democratic members of the Legislature — for what had been planned as a fairly routine endorsement event.
But the landscape had changed. So Platner started by thanking Mills for her lengthy career in public service — as prosecutor, attorney general and now two terms as governor — and by saying that her decision reflects their shared commitment to a singular goal: unseating Collins this November.
"I look forward to working closely with her between now and November to do just that, to defeat Susan Collins and turn this seat blue again," Platner said.
A Marine Corps veteran who farms oysters near his home in Sullivan, Platner has been leading in almost every poll for months over Mills and the third Democratic contender, David Costello of Brunswick. And there were plenty of other signs that the Mills campaign was struggling to find traction in a race that's a top priority for the national parties.
She stopped advertising on television. Her most recent fundraising haul was much smaller than Platner's. And her campaign schedule was also fairly light, especially when compared to Platner's seemingly nonstop slate of town halls, rallies and other events — which Platner said will continue apace.
"I'm going to take maybe a little bit of a break to catch up on my sleep, but we're going to continue doing exactly that, because at the end of the day, that is the kind of politics we are trying to build," he said. "And the only way to do it is to put in the work."
Mills' campaign did not make her available for an interview. But in announcing her decision, the two-term governor said she had the experience, the commitment and the fight to keep going.
"I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources," Mills said. "That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate. I step back from campaigning with unending love, admiration, and hope for Maine people — a people whose hearts are filled with love and whose integrity and humility is surpassed only by their kindness, generosity, and compassion."
Mills raised $2.7 million during the first three months of the year compared with $4 million raised by Platner. But with less than six weeks to go before the primary, she also hasn't received critical assistance from deep-pocketed national Democratic and left-leaning groups in her battle against Platner.
Platner, meanwhile, continues to draw large crowds and bring in healthy sums of donations despite a robust effort by the Mills camp in recent months to slow his momentum by highlighting his past, controversial online comments about women and sexual assault.
"I think there is obviously something that is happening with that campaign that is notable," said House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford.
Fecteau has worked closely with Mills for years but hadn't endorsed anyone in this primary. Fecteau said Platner has struck a chord with the many Mainers who are struggling to get by at a time when they see the wealthiest Americans amassing more wealth — with the help, Fecteau said, of President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress.
"And Graham is speaking directly to those things, the things that have people pissed off and tired of the status quo," Fecteau said. "So I think that he is going to be an effective messenger."
Mills had been the choice of national Democratic leaders. But less than 10 minutes after Mills' announcement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who leads the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, publicly pledged to work with Platner.
"Democrats are dedicated to fighting back against the chaos of the Trump administration by defeating the Republicans who enable his harmful agenda and that includes Susan Collins," Schumer and Gillibrand said. "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."
He also quickly earned endorsements from several Democratic candidates for governor, including Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former Maine CDC director Nirav Shah.
The national Republican campaign machine, meanwhile, called Platner a "phony who is too extreme for Maine." Republicans also pointed to his past, controversial online comments on sexual assault and women, and a skull-and-crossbones tattoo — which Platner has since covered up — that resembles a design used by the Nazis.
The Mills campaign had also previously predicted those would be major vulnerabilities for Platner against Collins, a formidable campaigner who has trounced Democratic challengers in the past. But Tony Payne, a former Republican who has been backing Mills, is among those who have already flipped to Platner.
"I just put my check in the mail and put a post on social media," said Payne, who is currently unenrolled but can vote in Maine's semi-open primaries.
Payne said he believes Platner has the best chance of defeating Collins, given his momentum and what he says is a thirst for change. And while Payne says he has concerns about future revelations from Platner's past, he added: "He has withstood every single challenge with a solid answer that is acceptable to people all across Maine."
Of course, not all of Mills' supporters plan to back Platner, including Lynn Bromley of South Portland, who appeared in a Mills ad attacking Platner over his past comments about women.
"There are no circumstances where I would vote for Graham Platner, period. Full stop," Bromley said. "I've been paying attention to gender all of my life and the sexism and the misogyny of this campaign was palpable. And that's not just Maine, it's countrywide. And I'm basically just tired of holding my nose and voting for a man that doesn't represent me and hoping we'll get somebody else later on."
Bromley said Mills hasn't explicitly said she's dropping out of the race, so she is encouraging people to vote for her in the June primary.
Mills' decision to suspend her campaign could provide an opening for Costello, who has trailed far behind in the polls. Costello, who also ran against independent Sen. Angus King two years ago, said he was staying in the race.
"I appreciate how hard it must have been for Governor Mills to suspend her US Senate campaign, given her decades of service and love for Maine," Costello said in a statement. "She’s been an excellent governor, and I wish her well. Regarding my own campaign, I have no intention of dropping out. I look forward to continuing to offer Mainers a well-rounded and experienced option in the race to replace Senator Collins in the US Senate."
When asked about his message to Mills supporters, Platner said people need to come together to build power for working people.
"And so I very much, very much ask them to support us," he said. "Because the governor and I have been essentially engaged in the same project, which is eventually beating Susan Collins in November."
That work will begin in earnest this weekend when more than 1,000 Democratic faithful — including many Mills supporters — gather in Portland for their party's state convention. But as for his more immediate plans, Platner said he might take a nap.
