WASHINGTON, April 30 (Reuters) – Maine Governor Janet Mills, a fierce critic of President Donald Trump, dropped her bid to unseat Republican U.S. Senator Susan Collins on Thursday, clarifying a matchup that will be critical to Democrats’ campaign to capture a Senate majority in November’s midterm elections.
“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 require: the financial resources,” Mills, a 77-year-old popular two-term governor, said in a statement.
Her withdrawal leaves Graham Platner, a progressive outsider who raised $3.25 million in the first six weeks of his campaign, as the leading Democratic candidate to challenge Collins, 72, a formidable incumbent who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.
Maine’s Senate race is one of seven contests expected to play a pivotal role in November’s midterm elections. Winning it would be critical for Democrats if they are to take back a majority in the chamber, which Republicans currently control 53-47.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by Scott Malone)
