Eyes in Maine are on Gov. Janet Mills (D) as Democrats await a final decision from her on whether she will challenge Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), their top target in the 2026 midterms.

Mills, subject to months of speculation about a possible Senate run as she’s unable to seek a third term in office, is viewed as perhaps Democrats’ best chance of finally ousting Collins after several failed attempts in the past. She cast some doubt in April about whether she would run, though she didn’t definitively rule it out.

Democrats likely face an uphill battle to defeat Collins regardless, but they believe the two-term governor could be the ideal candidate to take on the longtime senator.

“She's demonstrated twice that she is able to win statewide. There's not too many people in the state that can say that. She's got a long record in public office. Mainers know her. They like her,” said David Farmer, a Democratic consultant who worked for former Gov. John Baldacci (D). “They're energized by the fact that she stood up to the president, not because she wanted to, but because he singled her out.”

Collins has been one of the strongest political figures in Maine for decades, building a reputation as a maverick, independent-minded senator. As Maine's only Republican statewide officeholder, Collins has been a target in the past but has repeatedly held on.

Democrats were bullish about their chances in 2020, centering enthusiasm and significant spending on then-state House Speaker Sara Gideon. The broader political headwinds seemed likely to help, as Maine is a Democratic-leaning state on the federal level and voted for former President Biden by 9 points.

But Collins won comfortably over Gideon by almost the same amount, taking many by surprise.

Still,........

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