Overview
- The race shifted to a full general-election contest after Gov. Janet Mills suspended her bid on April 30, and both Susan Collins and Graham Platner have now released sharply contrasting ads.
- Susan Collins began with a positive spot that touts $6 million she helped secure to rebuild Eastport’s breakwater, narrated by the port’s director as part of a $600,000, two‑week buy funded by a campaign holding about $10 million.
- Graham Platner’s one‑minute ad declares “Susan Collins’s charade is over,” ties her to President Donald Trump and the “Epstein class,” and faults her for weak responses on Roe v. Wade and support for the Iran war.
- As media scrutiny of health and fitness grows, Collins disclosed a long‑standing benign essential tremor and said it does not affect her ability to do the job.
- Outside spending is already surging, with ad time booked near $138 million and pro‑Collins groups airing attacks on Platner’s past Reddit posts and a Nazi‑resembling tattoo he says he covered, in a race both parties view as central to Senate control.