Graham Platner (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026. Platner was born in Blue Hill,Maine. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. He served three tours of duty in Iraq. After retiring from active duty, Platner attended George Washington University. He later enlisted in the Army National Guard and served another tour in Afghanistan. Once his tour ended, Platner returned to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a bartender and later as a defense contractor for the State Department. He later became an oyster farmer in Maine. Platner launched his candidacy for U.S. Senateon August 19, 2025. In his launch video, Platner said, "I’m not afraid to name an enemy. And the enemy is the oligarchy. It’s the billionaires who pay for it and the politicians who sell us out." GQ's Ross Barkan wrote that Platner was "a proud economic populist who bashes the oligarchy, supports single-payer healthcare, and wants to end all military aid to Israel... In a state that barely numbers a million people, many have already heard of Platner, and he’s won an endorsement from Bernie Sanders."The Conversation's Prof. Nicholas Jacobs wrote, "Platner represents Democrats’ anxieties about class and geography – a projection of the authenticity they hope might reconcile their national brand with rural America." In the primary, Platner is facing Gov.Janet Mills (D).Axios' Holly Otterbein wrote that the primary was an "out-and-out battle between the party establishment and its progressive wing."Platner said of his campaign strategy: "There is a very tired playbook that the Democrats have run for a while where DC chooses establishment candidates that they base upon their fundraising capacity... in my opinion, we need to be doing something else. I mean, clearly that is a failed strategy."
ME Senate
Incumbent: Susan M. Collins · Republican
19 candidates · Incumbent first
Susan Collins (Republican Party) is a member of the U.S. Senate from Maine. She assumed office on January 3, 1997. Her current term ends on January 3, 2027. Collins (Republican Party) is running for re-election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. She is on the ballot in the Republican primary on June 9, 2026.
Janet T. Mills (Democratic Party) is the Governor of Maine. She assumed office on January 2, 2019. Her current term ends on January 6, 2027. Mills (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. She is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026. Mills unofficially withdrew from the race but will continue to appear on the ballot.[sources:1,2] Mills was born in Farmington, Maine, in 1947.She graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Boston with a bachelor's degree and later earned a law degree from the University of Maine. From 1976 to 1980, she served as an assistant attorney general in Maine, where she prosecuted homicide and other major crimes. In 1978, she co-founded the Maine Women's Lobby, which described itself as “an organization devoted to equal rights for men and women in Maine and to helping Maine women and girls realize their full potential."She served as district attorney for the counties of Androscoggin,Franklin, andOxford from 1980 to 1994.Mills was the first woman district attorney in New England, and she won re-election three times. In 1994, she ran for election to Maine's 2nd Congressional Districtbut lost in the Democratic primary to John Baldacci. She then practiced law alongside her brotherPeter Mills (R) at Wright and Mills, P.A. from 1995 to 2008. In 2002, Mills was elected to the Maine House of Representatives, where she representedDistrict 78. She was re-elected in 2004, 2006, and 2008, representing District 89. During her tenure, she served on the Judiciary, Criminal Justice, and Appropriations committees. In 2008, she was elected by her colleagues in the Maine Legislatureto serve as theattorney general of Maine, where she served from 2009 to 2011 and 2013 to 2019. She was the first woman to hold this position in Maine. From 2011 to 2013, she was the vice-chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Maine. In 2018, Mills ran for governor and defeated RepublicanShawn Moody50.9%-43.2%, becoming the first woman to serve as governor in the state's history. She was re-elected in 2022 after defeatingPaul LePage (R)55.7%-42.4%. On her first day in office in 2019, Mills signed an executive order to expandMedicaidin Maine. While in office, she also signed a law establishing a paid family and medical leave program, creating a tax credit for individuals or corporations that invest in constructing affordable housing units, and allowing access to abortions later in pregnancy in cases of medical emergencies. Following the October 2023 mass shooting at a bowling alley and restaurant in Lewiston, Mills signed legislation that expanded background checks to private sales, increased mental health funding, and expanded the state's "yellow flag law."She additionally allowed a bill requiring a 72 hour waiting period for firearm purchases to go into effect without her signature while vetoing a bill that would ban bump stocks. According to News Center Maine,Mills' 2024State of the State address"announced actions on the state budget, education, health care, housing, the opioid epidemic, and child safety." On April 30, 2026, Mills announced that she was withdrawing her candidacy from Maine's 2026 Democratic primaryfor U.S. Senate. In a statement, she said, "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."
Dan Kleban (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He will not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026.
Daira Rodriguez (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. She will not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026.
David Costello (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026.
Phillip Rench (independent) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He will not appear on the ballot for the general election on November 3, 2026.
Sara Gideon (Democratic Party) was a member of the Maine House of Representatives, representing District 48. She assumed office on December 4, 2012. She left office on December 1, 2020. Gideon (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. She lost in the general election on November 3, 2020. Gideon served asspeaker of the House from 2016 to 2020. House Democrats nominated her for the speakership. She won the majority of votes for the nomination in a three-way race between Gideon,Rep. Gay Grant, andRep. Craig Hickman. She served asassistant majority leader from 2014 to 2016. Gideon served as the vice chairperson of the Freeport Town Council.
Carmen Calabrese (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He will not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on June 9, 2026.
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Tucker Favreau (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He will not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026.
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Daniel Smeriglio (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He will not appear on the ballot for the Republican primary on June 9, 2026.
Ethan Alcorn (unaffiliated) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026.
Natasha Alcala (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. She will not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026.
Timothy Rich (unenrolled) is running for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He declared candidacy for the general election scheduled on November 3, 2026.
Jordan Wood (Democratic Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Maine's 2nd Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026. Wood also ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. He will not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026.
Natasha Alcala (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. Senate to represent Maine. She will not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on June 9, 2026.