Janet Mills

Graham Platner's Maine U.S. Senate campaign, which collapsed in July after a sexual assault allegation he denied, had roughly $1.7 million on hand when it ended. A new FEC filing shows the campaign has since spent over $2.3 million winding down operations. More than $70,000 in small-dollar donations were refunded, while staffers received a combined $350,000 in union-mandated severance, with the largest payout, over $20,000, going to Platner's wife, Amy Gertner. Roughly $350,000 went to consulting firms, partly for post-campaign work. None of the remaining funds went to Senate successor Troy Jackson or other candidates. Platner reportedly has under $100,000 left and has largely avoided public appearances since.

Three Oxford County, Maine sheriff's deputies — including Deputy Justin Brown, Sheriff Christopher Wainwright's challenger in the Nov. 3 election — have filed whistleblower complaints with the Maine Human Rights Commission, alleging illegal retaliation for cooperating in a misconduct probe. That earlier investigation led county commissioners to take the rare step of asking Gov. Janet Mills to remove Wainwright from office; Mills called his conduct unprofessional in 2024 but left the decision to voters.

Deputy Richard Murray and Cpl. Timothy Ontengco joined Brown in the complaints, describing escalating discipline, demotions, suspensions and surveillance after they raised concerns about missing evidence-locker firearms, uncertified school resource officers and selective enforcement. All say county officials failed to act despite repeated requests for an independent investigation. Wainwright called the complaints "a political hit job" by his opponent. This is not the first retaliation claim against him; the county settled a separate sex-discrimination lawsuit in 2024. The complaints could form the basis of a lawsuit and add fresh scrutiny to a closely watched sheriff's race.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills' administration is asking an Augusta court to throw out an arbitrator's ruling that found the state illegally fired epidemiologist David Abafi after his work authorization briefly lapsed. Abafi, who immigrated from Nigeria in 2021, worked at the Maine Center for Disease Control from early 2024 until his termination in April 2025, when U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied his green card application and gave him 18 days' notice that his work authorization would end. The union sought unpaid leave for him instead under the contract, but the state refused, citing legal obligations tied to employing unauthorized workers.

An arbitrator sided with the union in June, noting Abafi's authorization was restored by July 2025, and ordered the state to make him whole. Maine's lawsuit, filed Sept. 10, argues the arbitrator exceeded his authority, citing the Supreme Court's Hoffman Plastic Compounds precedent. The union calls the state's case "frivolous" and says the ruling is binding. Abafi has taken another job but could reclaim his position and back pay.

Maine Gov. Janet Mills, 77, has entered the 2026 Senate race as a Democrat, aiming to unseat longtime Republican Sen. Susan Collins. Mills, recruited by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, framed her campaign as a fight against President Trump's agenda, arguing Collins has failed to sufficiently oppose it despite occasional criticism. She pointed to a widely shared exchange with Trump over transgender athletes as evidence of her willingness to confront him directly. Collins, who has not yet announced her own reelection campaign, did not respond to Mills' launch, though a Republican campaign group criticized Mills over her positions on LGBTQ rights and immigration.

Mills first faces a Democratic primary against Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and political newcomer endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders who has drawn large crowds statewide, along with brewery founder Dan Kleban. Maine is considered a top Democratic pickup opportunity, as it's the only state Trump lost in 2024 with a Republican incumbent senator up in 2026, in a Senate currently split 53-47 in Republicans' favor.