Maine Gov. Janet Mills suspended her U.S. Senate campaign in a surprise move on April 30, all but handing the Democratic nomination to oyster farmer Graham Platner, who will face GOP Sen. Susan Collins in November.
Mills announced Thursday that she was exiting the race for financial reasons.
"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 political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources," Mills said in a statement.
Sen. Collins currently has $10 million on hand and Platner has raised nearly $12 million since entering the race, but has $2.7 million on hand. Gov. Mills raised $5 million since entering the race with only $1 million on hand.
A March poll, conducted by Emerson College, showed Platner, a political novice, leading Mills by 27 points in the primary race for the U.S. Senate. The race is a critical pickup for Democrats as they go on offense to try and take back control of the Senate, where Republicans hold a narrow 53-47 majority.
