What's the main thing in Maine's Senate race?

February 17, 2026·20 min·1 clip

A Marine veteran oysterman challenges Maine's governor in a Democratic primary shaking up the Senate race.

Susan Collins is the hinge. Tamara Keith and Mara Liason bring in Maine Public's Kevin Miller to talk through why the longtime Republican incumbent is drawing so much attention for 2026. Collins has been in office nearly 30 years, and Miller says she is still an institution in Maine politics. The hard part is the state itself. She is the only Republican up for re-election in a state Donald Trump lost in 2024, so the race is already one to watch. On the Democratic side, Governor Janet Mills and Graham Plattner are making different arguments about who can win. The polling is thin and messy. Miller points to surveys that variously show Plattner just ahead of Collins, Collins just ahead of Plattner, Plattner over Mills, and Mills over Plattner. So, toss up, with a big caveat around the numbers. Mills is trying to look like the general election candidate already. Her new ad goes after Susan Collins instead of Plattner. Plattner is running louder, with bigger town halls, more direct criticism of Mills, and a Dropkick Murphys moment where he crowd surfed and got on stage with the Boston band. Mills leans on her statewide wins across rural and urban Maine. Plattner argues his rural coastal background can reach Trump voters. The primary is June 9th, and the choice is clear enough: proven statewide record or a bet on a louder rural argument.

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