By suzanne downing 
After a bruising 2024 election cycle, Democrats are scrambling to find candidates who can help revive the party and compete in high-stakes Senate contests. One of the biggest targets is Maine, home to Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has fended off challenges for nearly three decades.
Maine is the only state with a Republican senator that Vice President Kamala Harris carried last year, making it a top priority for Democrats. The minority party faces a steep uphill battle in the 2026 Senate map, and flipping Collins’ seat is central to any path back to a majority.
Collins, 72, has not officially announced her reelection bid but has said she intends to run. She has already built a formidable war chest, ending June with $5.3 million cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission filings. The nonpartisan handicapper Inside Elections currently rates the contest as “Tilts Republican.”
While national Democratic leaders are pressing Gov. Janet Mills to enter the race, the 77-year-old governor has not made a decision. If she were to run and win, Mills would become the oldest freshman senator in US history, a prospect that draws Democratic concerns about age in the wake of former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 campaign.
In 2020, Collins hit 51% in the first round of ranked-choice voting, avoiding redistribution. Many Democrats and independents ranked her second, per exit analysis, boosting her coalition. Without RCV, a unified anti-Collins vote might have flipped the seat.
RCV could hurt her now. Maine’s electorate is ~30% Republican, 30% Democratic, and 40% independent/enrolled other, favoring redistribution voters. If Collins falls below 50% initially (plausible given polls showing her at 40-45% head-to-head), votes from progressive independents or a strong third-party candidate could flow disproportionately to Democrats. A 2020-style independent run explicitly urged ranking the Democrat second, nearly costing Collins the seat. With her current weakened brand, fewer “second-choice” Democrats may back her.
In the meantime, a wave of political newcomer Democrats is shaping the race, including three who are a generation or two younger than Collins:
- Graham Platner, a 40-year-old oyster farmer, filed race last month and quickly picked up the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders, joining him for a Labor Day rally in Portland, Maine.
- Dan Kleban, 48, co-founder of Maine Beer Company, launched his campaign earlier this month. He has framed his campaign around tackling what he calls an affordability crisis.
- Jordan Wood, 36, a former chief of staff to ex-Rep. Katie Porter and a onetime staffer at End Citizens United, declared earlier this spring. He has emphasized campaign finance reform and political accountability.
Other Democrats in the field include former USAID official David Costello, who lost to independent Sen. Angus King last year, and cybersecurity professional Tucker Favreau, though neither has gained the same traction.
No Democrat has won a Senate race in Maine since 1988, with King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, serving as the state’s junior senator.
Collins has consistently demonstrated crossover appeal, winning her last five races even as Maine has trended Democratic in presidential contests. Such pressure for the 2026 race may push her even more to the left.
Although weakened, Collins remains the favorite in a ranked-choice race that could determine whether Democrats regain the Senate in 2026.
Suzanne Downing
The Lisa Murkowski of Maine. The only other state that uses Ranked Choice Voting – as instituted in Alaska by Lisa’s attorney’s and, Alaskan’s gullibility. Like Lisa, this turd doesn’t need any republican votes as they’ll get more than enough from the left who get 95% of what they desire from two paid-off grifters. To Alaska’s Republicans, Conservatives and Libertarians: Don’t get into feckless pissing matches, get out and vote for who can keep Lisa, Susan – and those like them – out of Alaskan politics.