Maine Democratic Governor Refuses To Endorse Platner Replacement

Maine Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Tuesday refused to endorse Troy Jackson, the last-minute candidate party elites chose to replace accused rapist Graham Platner on the November ballot. 

In an interview with local outlet WMTW, Mills said she has not spoken with Jackson and stopped short of endorsing him, adding that she still wants to see Republican Senator Susan Collins go down in November. 

“We haven’t spoken, but clearly Susan Collins is vulnerable, and she should be — she should be defeated,” Mills said. She did not comment on whether the process her party had used to coronate Jackson as the nominee would alienate voters. 

It’s unusual for a sitting Democratic governor to withhold an endorsement from her party’s U.S. Senate nominee. Perhaps the lingering resentment stems from Mills spending months crisscrossing Maine, warning party activists and voters that Platner’s baggage would be too heavy to carry — even in a blue-leaning state. Voters, along with much of the Democratic establishment, ignored her warnings. 

The Democratic establishment viewed Mills, who was recruited and backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), as the strongest candidate to defeat Collins. However, Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) had different plans. 

The Daily Wire previously reported that leftists turned to the embattled Platner after their initial choice was found to have a major “skeleton” in his closet. In July 2025, two Bernie Sanders-aligned political operatives hunted for a Democrat to challenge Collins, ultimately landing on and recruiting Platner. The oyster farmer launched his campaign a month later with a viral video that quickly attracted national attention from leftist activists and Democratic donors. 

Trying to stop his momentum, Mills went on the attack against Platner in commercials, highlighting his scandals and running with the tagline, “Graham Platner: The closer you look, the worse it gets.” One advertisement in particular featured older women expressing disgust. 

Ultimately, her strategy failed to gain traction with an increasingly restless base eager to buck their party’s establishment. On April 30, Mills suspended her campaign. 

“While I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else — the fight — to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” Mills said in a statement. 

Now that Platner is off the ballot, Democrats face a new challenge: rallying their base behind a nominee who previously opposed abortion and same-sex marriage and is known for a history of public outbursts.

Republicans hope to use Jackson’s conservative past and his new leftward platform as a wedge issue, arguing the shift will alienate voters across the political spectrum and help propel Collins to victory in November.

“He’s a Bernie Bro,” Collins told reporters in the halls of the U.S. Senate. 

Susan Collins on Troy Jackson: “He’s a Bernie Bro.” pic.twitter.com/qzt63Y3phE

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 23, 2026