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Democrats have the choice between oysters and craft beer in the Maine Senate race. Many of them are still pining for more traditional fare.
Over the past two weeks, oyster farmer Graham Platner and brewer Dan Kleban barged into the state’s Democratic primary. But senior Democrats are still hoping to enlist Gov. Janet Mills to challenge longtime Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to several people familiar with the matter.
Schumer has twice tried to topple Collins with well-funded challengers, and he’s laser-focused on flipping Maine next year to regain the title of majority leader. While Platner’s launch blitz impressed several Democratic senators and won the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Democrats also like Kleban’s profile, they’re still hoping for Mills.
“We’ve got a beer guy and an oyster man. You’ve got to love that,” said Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., who is a lieutenant for the party’s campaign arm.
Still, he added that Mills would be “incredibly formidable” if she entered the race, likening her potential candidacy to Democrats’ recent successes landing top-tier recruits in Ohio and North Carolina: “I put her up there with Sherrod and Roy Cooper. It would be a big deal in the state.”
Maine is a microcosm of the Democratic Party after its 2024 electoral debacle, with the party torn between younger, insurgent hopefuls and a proven establishment figure. On paper, the 77-year-old Mills is precisely the type of candidate that Democrats routinely recruit: The two-term governor has won tough races and meticulously worked her way up through state politics.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who previously ran the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, called Mills “fantastic,” while Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., chose “excellent.” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said “I don’t know anybody that’s quite as popular as she is.”
Progressives in particular would prefer a new approach after the party anointed Collins’s 2020 opponent, Sara Gideon, who failed to flip the seat. Enter Kleban, 48, who founded the Maine Beer Company, and Platner, 40, who just held a rally with Sanders.
Platner told Semafor that and said his party needs to turn out disaffected voters, not just reliable Democrats.
“I don’t think you’re going to find that kind of campaign coming out of the establishment,” Platner told Semafor. “The type of campaigning that I think is going to win, I did not see it. I still don’t see it. And honestly, whoever else jumps in, I cannot think of a name that would enter this race that would make me want to leave.”
Kleban also told Semafor he would not bow out of the primary either if Mills gets in: “I’m 100 percent in this race. I don’t really care who gets in.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., said he’s “getting a good vibe off the oyster farmer guy,” and Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said Platner diverges from the “‘same old, same old’ of politics. And that’s great.”
While the left has embraced Platner, neither younger Senate candidate aligns with it entirely. Kleban described himself as a “get-shit done Democrat” and “pragmatic,” while Platner rejected the progressive label and said he would not campaign on his liberal bona fides: “If I do, something has happened, and you should probably call somebody.”
There are also key differences emerging between the two newcomers to politics.
Platner says he would not support Schumer as Democratic leader, while Kleban says he’s “not focused on that” right now.
And while Platner indicated that he wants Democrats to oppose a GOP government funding deal, Kleban said a shutdown would hurt small businesses like his, preferring “to find a solution that helps every-day working class Mainers.”
After lying fallow for months, the primary could still grow. Jordan Wood, a former congressional aide, jumped into the race early on a platform of transparency. And Maine Statehouse Speaker Ryan Fecteau could enter the contest if Mills does not.
Know More
National Democrats are feeling optimistic about Mills because she hasn’t ruled out the race yet, and because of their other recruiting achievements in recent weeks. But that doesn’t mean she’ll decide on their timetable.
“To put it bluntly: The governor doesn’t care what anyone in DC thinks or wants. She’s focused on what’s best for Maine people and on who will be the most effective fighter and champion for them in the Senate, which is exactly why she’s very seriously considering running,” said a person familiar with her thinking.
Other than speaking to Sanders, Platner has not discussed the race with other congressional Democrats — some of whom privately question whether Mills, who would be the oldest freshman senator if elected, is the solution to their routine failure to beat Collins.
But Platner said he’ll reach out soon.
“Somebody asked me, like, did you call down to DC? And I was flippant, but it’s not a joke. I didn’t, because I don’t know who to call. I mean, I’m the harbor master of Sullivan, Maine,” Platner said. “These are conversations I actually want to have.”
Kleban quickly won support from state Senate President Mattie Daughtry and the Maine Brewers Guild; he said he’s “not interested” in prioritizing support from Washington.
The View From Chuck Schumer
“We’re going to win Maine,” the minority leader told Semafor.
The View From Maine’s senators
Collins told Semafor she’s not trying to “second-guess or get involved” in the Democratic primary — but she’s happy to see the opposition slug it out.
“It’s going to be very interesting to see how they sort it out,” the Republican said. “It’s clearly going to be a very crowded primary.”
Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, a former governor who caucuses with the Democrats, told Semafor that he’s staying out of it.
Room for Disagreement
Both outsider candidates don’t think much of Washington’s preference for Mills.
Kleban said “the only people that know the kind of candidate that’s going to win in Maine, are the people who live up here in Maine.”
“Mainers know a hell of a lot more about Maine than someone in Washington,” Platner said.
Burgess’s view
Washington alone can’t win a Senate race, but Democratic groups and leaders will be pivotal in allocating resources to Maine and flooding the airwaves against Collins. After Gideon’s loss, they will want more confidence that they aren’t lighting their money on fire for an untested candidate.
That’s what makes the next couple of months so important for Platner and Kleban. If either can prove he’s a legitimate general-election candidate, it could lessen the party’s desire to see Mills in the race.
Party leaders still might want a blue-chip recruit against Collins because of how important the race is; but even if Mills does get in, she might benefit from facing a primary challenger to dispel the idea that Washington Democrats cleared the field for her.
There’s no room for Democratic error: Flipping the Senate is a long-shot in 2026 given the composition of the battleground map, but winning in Maine is essential to their long-term hopes for Senate control. It’s hard to get to 50 without it.
Notable
- Platner told the HuffPost he does “not care about what some pundit’s opinion on what a government shutdown may or may not look like.”
- Sanders also endorsed Troy Jackson to succeed Mills, according to WMTW.