Gov. Janet Mills (D-Maine) is reminding Maine Democrats that she remains on the ballot in next week’s U.S. Senate primary, raising new questions about whether voters could turn to the veteran governor as frontrunner Graham Platner’s campaign continues to be engulfed by controversy.
“People have the impression that I ‘withdrew’ or ‘dropped out,’ but I simply suspended active campaigning. I am still on the ballot,” Mills told the Portland Press-Herald on Monday.
Mills suspended active campaigning in April after Platner surged in Democrat primary polling despite a growing list of scandals surrounding the candidate. While she stopped campaigning, Mills never formally withdrew from the race, meaning Democrat voters can still cast ballots for her in the June 9 primary.
At the time of her announcement, Mills emphasized that her focus would remain on governing Maine. (RELATED: Maine Gov. Janet Mills Suspends Senate Campaign)
“To the people of Maine: I love you, and I will continue to fight relentlessly for you as your Governor. For the next eight months, I will continue working hard for you, standing up for what is right, defending the Constitution and doing what I can to preserve our democracy,” Mills said.
“And as always, while I am suspending active campaigning, I look forward to seeing you at a Reny’s, at a Hearts of Pine game, or maybe even on a trout pond in western Maine,” she added.
The Democrat primary has been closely watched nationally because Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) is seeking another term in what is expected to be one of the most competitive Senate races of the 2026 election cycle.
Mills’ comments come as Platner spends the final days before the primary fighting off a barrage of damaging reports that have raised questions about his character and judgment.
Over the weekend, The Daily Wire reported that Platner created an account on the messaging platform Kik, which the National Center on Sexual Exploitation has described as a “predator’s paradise.” The report followed revelations that Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, previously flagged sexually explicit messages that the oyster farmer allegedly exchanged with as many as a dozen women. (RELATED: Maine Senate Candidate Graham Platner Under Fire After Wife Flags Sexually Explicit Messages)
Those allegations are only the latest in a string of controversies that have dogged Platner’s campaign.
Last year, Platner faced scrutiny after reports surfaced regarding a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol. Additional reports highlighted past Reddit posts in which he made derogatory remarks about women. He also drew bipartisan criticism after resurfaced comments mocking a wounded American soldier who received the Purple Heart.
“The Purple Heart recipient, by the way, the video he insulted, was a man who took fire to save his team, and he said, ‘This stupid guy should have died. It’s only because they didn’t have good aim that he’s here,'” The View co-host Sara Haines said during a discussion of the controversy.
“If you are capable of saying that at any time in your life, you’ve shown me who you are, and I heard you,” Haines added.
Despite the mounting controversies, Platner has retained the support of prominent progressive figures, including Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT).
When asked if he was rethinking his endorsement due to Platner’s laundry list of scandals, Sanders told an MS Now reporter on Monday, “certainly not.”
There are currently no other major candidates actively campaigning in the Democrat primary, making Mills’ continued presence on the ballot increasingly notable as Platner’s reputation comes under renewed scrutiny.
Whether Mills intends to resume active campaigning remains unclear. But with just days remaining before Democrat voters head to the polls, her reminder that she never withdrew from the race could offer an unexpected alternative for voters uneasy with the party’s embattled frontrunner.
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