Two years after signing a radical measure that cleared the way for abortions through all nine months of pregnancy, Maine Gov. Janet Mills announced she is jumping into the race for U.S. Senate
Her decision sets up a high-stakes showdown with Republican incumbent Susan Collins.
The Democrat governor, who cannot seek a third term due to term limits, declared her candidacy in an interview with the Bangor Daily News, ending months of speculation about her political future.
“I think I can win this, and I think I’m the one who can beat Susan Collins, because I have a track record of winning and of delivering for Maine people,” Mills said.
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Yet her record on abortion looms large for pro-life advocates, who decry her 2023 endorsement of a law that allows the destruction of viable unborn children.
In July 2023, Mills put her signature on LD 1619, a bill passed by the Democrat-controlled Legislature that repealed Maine’s longstanding limit on abortions. The measure, lobbied heavily by Planned Parenthood, now permits killing babies at any stage of pregnancy if an abortionist deems it “necessary,” a threshold critics argue could encompass elective cases on healthy, viable babies.
Pro-life groups blasted the legislation as extreme and disconnected from mainstream values.
The bill’s passage drew fierce opposition, including thousands of protesters at the state Capitol and testimony from nearly 700 people against it during committee hearings — outnumbering supporters by more than 10 to 1.
State Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, who fought the measure, described intense pressure tactics behind the scenes.
“We watched all day as representatives who might vote with us were followed out of this chamber and were whipped to vote for the bill. … [This] was about Planned Parenthood’s agenda to expand abortion in Maine to any time, for any reason,” she said.
Maine’s new law aligns the state with others, including California and New York, that allow abortions up to birth. Pro-life groups have cited polls showing broad public opposition to such late-term abortions, and medical experts have argued that true emergencies can be addressed through delivery rather than abortion.
As Mills pivots to the national stage, her Senate bid injects abortion into what could become one of 2026’s marquee races. Collins, a moderate Republican seeking a sixth term, has faced her own scrutiny on the issue from pro-life advocates but has generally supported restrictions on late-term abortions. She also helps Republicans form a majority in the Senate where they have passed a pro-life measure to defund Planned Parenthood. Mills’ election would put that pro-life legislation in jeopardy.
