Democratic Maine Gov Mills to challenge Sen Collins in 2026 election: report

Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills will challenge GOP Sen. Susan Collins' reelection bid in 2026, according to a report.

Mills, who must leave her governor's post because of term limits, is tentatively expected to announce her candidacy on Tuesday, according to unnamed sources, the Associated Press reported.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has urged Mills to run, but she met with him only once to discuss the race early this year.

Maine's U.S. Senate seat is the only one on next year's election calendar in which Republicans are defending an incumbent in a state that Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris carried last year. Collins has held her seat since 1997, even when Joe Biden won her state in the 2020 presidential election.

Mills, 77, had set a November deadline for making a decision. But as of mid-September, she was interviewing prospective senior campaign staff.

Other Democratic challengers have declared candidacies, including oyster farmer Graham Platner, who has been endorsed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.