Two of Maine’s top politicians have known and respected each other for many years.
That seemingly unremarkable fact about Gov. Janet Mills and U.S. Sen. Susan Collins has become notable. It also may change if the Democratic governor launches a bid to unseat the Republican senator in what could be one of the nation’s biggest 2026 elections.
The amicable ties between the two figures who rose in Maine politics in the 1980s relates to a common aspect of the state’s politics. Mills jokingly held an umbrella over Collins’ head during a rainy 2021 event in Millinocket. The next year, they both hit a red button to symbolically start an Aroostook County mill. They sat together at a vigil for Lewiston shooting victims in 2023.
National Democrats want the 77-year-old Mills to enter the race and view her as the party’s preferred candidate. A field of lesser-known Democratic upstarts has grown in the meantime seeking to capture grassroots energy and frustration with sitting politicians including Mills and Collins, who is 72 and aiming for a sixth term.
Both Mills and Collins are oriented toward the center of their parties in Augusta and Washington, respectively. The governor’s brother, former Republican lawmaker Peter Mills, said he “can’t recall any occasions of friction” between the governor and Collins.
“I’m racking my little brain, but I don’t recall any,” he said. “I mostly recall efforts on either side to figure out what’s the right thing to do in responding to something the president is doing.”
Mills began her political rise when she became the district attorney in western Maine in 1980. At that time, Collins was a staffer for then-U.S. Sen. William Cohen. She went on to other posts before replacing her old boss in 1996. Mills served in the Legislature and did two stints as attorney general before winning the Blaine House in 2018.
Those who know both Mills and Collins said their friendly relationship does not imply agreement. Mills’ consideration of a Senate bid may be more tied to trying to flip control of the Senate to better counteract policies from President Donald Trump that she believes have hurt Maine.
While visiting Gardiner earlier this month, Mills was asked by a reporter whether she thought Collins was doing enough to push back on Trump’s actions, though the question also specifically mentioned tariff policies Collins has opposed.
“She’s in a tough position,” Mills replied. “I appreciate everything she is doing.”
Collins later told a Capitol Hill reporter she was “delighted” by Mills’ remarks.
Mills’ comment conflicted with the tone of 2026 Democratic candidates who have not shied away from criticizing Collins. Sullivan oysterman Graham Platner, who quickly drew national attention after launching his campaign in August and has since raised more than $2.5 million, had a brief reply to Mills: “I do not appreciate everything that Susan Collins is doing.”
Mills was asked again while in Sanford last week about whether she feels Collins is doing enough to push back on Trump, to which the governor replied she wants to continue the working relationship she has with Collins and Maine’s congressional delegation. Mills also said she has “serious disagreements with many of her votes, but that’s for another day to discuss.”
“We can talk about criticisms and points of disagreements at another time down the road,” Mills said.
Asked about the governor and senator’s relationship and whether they ever talk about more personal matters, Collins’ office only said in a brief statement Friday that she “has known Gov. Mills and her family for decades.” Mills’ office did not respond to similar questions.
The governor has a responsibility for now to work with Collins despite policy differences, noted Emily Cain, a Democratic operative and former lawmaker from Orono who lost congressional campaigns in 2014 and 2016.
Cain, a Mills ally who was with her when she stopped by Orono’s Marsh Island Brewing last Monday amid other events, said the governor is considering a Senate bid because what is happening in Washington is “making things harder for Maine.”
“That would be more of the driver to consider running for the Senate than anything else,” Cain said. “I also think it’s very important that people should not mistake working together for not having disagreements.”
Adam Cote, a lawyer who lost the 2018 Democratic gubernatorial primary to Mills and is endorsing Democratic challenger Dan Kleban in the Senate race, said Mills and Collins are both “iconic members of their parties” and anticipated that Mills would focus more on her own beliefs in deciding whether to run for the Senate.
“It’s less about the other person and more about why you’re running,” Cote said.
