Maine Governor Janet Mills stepped away from her Democratic primary campaign for the US Senate on Thursday stating the straight reason that she ran out of money.
âWhile I have the drive and passion, commitment and experience, and above all else â the fight â to continue on, I very simply do not have the one thing that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,â she said in a statement released Thursday. âThat is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate.â
Her exit now makes it easier for Graham Platner, who is an Army and Marine veteran who later became an oyster farmer to run against Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.
Was the money gap too big to overcome?
From the beginning, Mills faced a tough money challenge. In the first quarter of the year, Platner raised $4.1 million, while Mills brought in $2.7 million, according to CNN.
By late March, Millsâ campaign had mostly stopped running TV ads which is a clear sign that she was running low on funds white Platner kept advertising, according to NBC News.
The gap showed up in polling too. A February poll by the University of New Hampshire found Platner far ahead of Mills, leading 64% to 26%.
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Did age play a role in the race?
Millsâ age also became an issue during the campaign. At 78, she would have been the oldest first-time senator in US history if she had won.
She tried to ease concerns by saying she would serve only one term but focus groups showed some Democratic voters were still unsure and saw Platner who is 41 as a stronger candidate for the general election despite his controversies, according to NBC News.
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What happens now?
As Mills is out now, Democratic leaders quickly moved to support Platner. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand said Susan Collins “has never been more vulnerable” and promised to help defeat her, as per CNN.
However, Republicans have criticized the Platner. Tim Scott said: “Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats just coronated a phony who is too extreme for Maine. Susan Collins has always put in the work for her constituents and delivered. Washington Democrats always fall short in Maine and will again, because they just nominated a dishonest radical.”
Collins responded carefully, saying: “I’m sure this was a very difficult decision for Gov Mills. And I wish her well. She has devoted her life to public service in the state of Maine, in many different capacities.” When asked about Platner, she said, âI’m not going to get into the November election at this point.â