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In Maine, Democrats Yearn For Younger Candidate To Take On Susan Collins

PORTLAND, Maine — Top Democrats are holding their breath and waiting for Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) to potentially enter the race against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) next year, but voters in the state say it’s time for a new generation of candidates to represent them in Washington as younger contenders have begun piling into the race.

Tim Bailey, 67, a retired Marine from Yarmouth, said he liked Mills, who would be 79 years old if she is successful in ousting the five-term GOP incumbent, who is 72. But ultimately, he felt it was time for Mills to step aside.

“I mean, she’s a brilliant woman. I like her. I’m not being derogatory,” Bailey told HuffPost at a rally for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in Portland on Monday. “But she served Maine. She served. She’s a very intelligent woman. She was attorney general. It’s just time for us to get out of the way, let younger kids, you know, get in the trenches and take their turn.”

“We’re out of touch. D.C. is way out of touch — Democrats, I mean,” he added. “The last election — that was horrible. And I’m a Joe Biden fan, you know? President Obama asked him to step aside. That broke my heart. We’ve lost because of what [Democrats] wanted us to do, not because of what the American people want.”

Marlene Daigle, 79, a retired nurse from Buxton, agreed.

“I liked her as governor, but I don’t think she should run for the Senate,” Daigle said of Mills. “Because I think that if she does, then we’ll lose, and we’ll end up with Susan Collins again. There’s too many people in the state, no matter what your ... affiliation is, that don’t like her anymore.”

Mills told reporters last week she is “seriously considering” entering the race but that she isn’t in any rush to announce her plans. She suggested she’ll make a decision by November.

Several younger Democrats aren’t waiting on the governor to do so, however, potentially setting up a competitive and high-stakes primary. Oyster farmer and U.S. Marine veteran Graham Platner made a splashy entrance into the race recently with a buzzy announcement video, raising over a million dollars. He’s running on a progressive platform and rallied on Labor Day alongside Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has endorsed his campaign.

“There is a specific political narrative based around age and how old much of our political leadership is in this country,” Platner said in an interview. “And it, to me, it seems like if we want to really motivate voters to come out and want them to get involved and build a more robust vision of the future, it’s going to be easier to do that with younger candidates.”

On Wednesday, Dan Kleban, another political newcomer, also announced his candidacy for the job. The Maine Beer Company co-founder said his campaign to oust Collins would center on livable wages, affordable health care, and bringing down costs. He was endorsed immediately by Maine Senate President Mattie Daughtry (D), who will serve as his campaign co-chair.

“Senator Collins is not doing what’s right for the state of Maine, and hardworking Mainers are literally paying the price — housing, health care, groceries and electric bills are all too high and getting worse,” Kleban said in a video his campaign posted online.

He joins Jordan Wood, who was chief of staff to former California Democratic Rep. Katie Porter, who announced his campaign earlier this year.

National Democrats are still holding off from making an endorsement in the race, but they feel good about their chances of ousting Collins, who has seen her polling numbers plummet in the first six months of Trump’s term.

“I’m optimistic we’ll have a very good candidate in Maine. As you know, Senator Collins’ numbers are among the lowest in a long time,” Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), who chairs the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, told HuffPost on Wednesday.

Democrats are facing a wave of younger candidates challenging establishment figures within the party. Some older Democratic lawmakers are also making way for the new generation. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the 78-year-old former House Judiciary chair who spent 32 years in Congress, this week announced he would not be seeking reelection. And 83-year-old Illinois Rep. Danny Davis said in July after making clear his intention to retire that “this would be a great time to try and usher in new leadership.”

In the race for control of the Senate, however, Democrats have somewhat bucked that trend. Democratic leaders have recruited 72-year-old former Sen. Sherrod Brown to make a comeback bid against Sen. Jon Husted in Ohio, as well as 68-year-old former Gov. Roy Cooper to run for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Thom Tillis (R) in North Carolina.

Mills jumping into the race would continue that trend despite calls from Democratic voters for fresh blood.

“I feel like people like Susan Collins, like Janet Mills, people like [Independent Maine Sen.] Angus King, whom I adore, should just step aside and mentor some of the younger voices coming up and really reenergize the Democratic Party,” said Dot Ollier, 72, a real estate agent from Brunswick. “I feel like the party has become very stale. So I think we need to shake things up.”