Maine Gov. Janet Mills on Thursday suspended her campaign for the U.S. Senate, clearing the way for Graham Platner to win the Democratic nomination.
“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 unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” Ms. Mills said in a statement. “That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate.”
The announcement sets the table for Mr. Platner to take on Republican Sen. Susan Collins in the November election in a race Democrats likely need to win to have any hope of flipping the U.S. Senate.
Ms. Mills struggled to gain much traction in the race despite support from Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer and being well-liked by Democrats during her decades in the public arena.
Mr. Platner has said Mr. Schumer should step down as leader.
A former Marine and oyster farmer, Mr. Platner has been a political force, tapping into the left wing of the party’s populist desires and a broader appetite for a new generation of leaders.
He also has continued gaining steam amid ongoing questions about a tattoo recognized as a Nazi symbol.
