President Trump and Maine Governor condemn trade involving transgender athletes
President Trump and Maine Governor Janet Mills clashed over Trump’s order banning transgender athletes from women’s sports.
WASHINGTON – Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills has announced that she will run for the U.S. Senate to unseat Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has served as the Pine Tree state senator since 1996.
Mills will participate in the Democratic primary for the Senate, which is expected to be a crowded race. Other candidates include Graham Platner, a Marine Corps and U.S. Army veteran who has been endorsed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders, Maine Beer Co. co-founder Dan Kleban, and former congressional aide Jordan Wood.
Mr. Collins, Maine’s senior senator, has earned a reputation as a rare Republican senator willing to stand up to Mr. Trump at times. The 72-year-old voted against final passage of President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, and also opposed the president’s support of $9 billion in cuts to public broadcasting and foreign aid funding.
But Mills, 77, claimed in an Oct. 14 video announcing his candidacy that Collins has forgotten his principles and is “at the mercy of bullies like Trump.”
“I cannot stand by while the people of Maine suffer. Politicians like Susan Collins bend the knee as if it’s normal. My life’s work has prepared me for this fight, and I’m ready to win,” Mills said. “This election will be a simple choice: Will Maine bow down or will it stand up?”
In an interview with NBC News, Mills pointed to Collins’ decision to approve some of President Trump’s cabinet picks, including Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who changed COVID-19 vaccine policy, urged pregnant women not to take Tylenol, made unproven claims that Tylenol is linked to increased risk of autism in children, and led an effort to remove eight artificial food dyes from medicines and the nation’s food supply. End of 2026.
Mills also told the news outlet that he does not plan to serve multiple terms if elected, saying his “age is a consideration.”
In a post on X before Mills announced her candidacy, Sanders wrote that it was “unfortunate” that some Democratic leaders were encouraging her to run. “We need to focus on winning seats and not waste millions of dollars on unnecessary and divisive primaries.”
Former Pennsylvania Democratic Congresswoman Susan Wilde told X: “Janet Mills is 10 years older than me, and I wonder why she decided not to run for Congress again next year. She didn’t want to add to the aging issue of Congress.”
The Democratic Party views this election as one of its biggest electoral opportunities in 2026.
