Critics Pounce on Gov. Janet Mills After Confusion Over Sagadahoc County U.S. Senate Debate

Richard Kessler, the Sagadahoc County Democratic Committee chairman and former U.S. Senate staffer, found himself issuing a public apology Saturday after his committee advertised a three-candidate U.S. Senate debate at the Orion Performing Arts Center in Topsham that Gov. Janet Mills had never agreed to attend.

The event, co-hosted by the Sagadahoc County Democrats, Freeport Democrats, Brunswick Democrats, and Brunswick Indivisible, had drawn roughly 900 registrations. Only two candidates appeared: Graham Platner, a combat veteran and oyster farmer endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, and David Costello of Brunswick, the 2024 Democratic nominee for Maine's U.S. Senate seat. Kessler's committee published a brief notice explaining the absence: "Because of a previous scheduling commitment, Governor Janet Mills will not be able to attend."

That statement did not land quietly. Colin Woodard, the Portland Press Herald's State and National Affairs correspondent who served as debate moderator, posted on X that Mills had pulled out, calling it "disappointing for primary voters, and maybe not optimal if you're behind by…30 points in the polls as well as in fundraising." Woodard, the author of "American Nations," "The Republic of Pirates," and "The Lobster Coast," handed Platner's supporters a ready-made rallying point that spread rapidly across social media.

Mills' campaign pushed back through spokesperson Tommy Garcia, noting she had never confirmed attendance and had committed publicly to five debates and forums ahead of the June 9 primary: three televised debates hosted by Maine media and two all-candidate forums organized by the Maine Democratic Party. The Saturday event in Topsham was not among those five. All three leading candidates, including Mills, have agreed to appear at the first confirmed televised debate on May 7 at 7 p.m. on NewsCenter Maine and Maine Public, in partnership with the Portland Press Herald.

The Topsham controversy was not the only recent scheduling friction. Mills also cited a conflict in declining to attend a forum hosted by the Penobscot Nation scheduled for April 16, a decision that generated its own round of criticism about her engagement with tribal communities.

Woodard's polling reference carried real numbers behind it. Independent surveys have placed Platner ahead of Mills by double digits, with one poll showing a gap as wide as 38 points. On fundraising, Platner raised $7.9 million through the end of 2025 compared to Mills' $2.7 million, and outpaced her more than three-to-one in advertising spending, $4.2 million to $1.2 million through late March, according to the tracking firm Ad Impact. Axios reported this week that Platner had already declared the race "all but over," two months before primary day. Mills' campaign responded that she was "not quitting."

Mills entered the race in October 2025 after being recruited by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, and the DSCC, which formed a joint fundraising committee called "Maine Senate Victory 2026" that itself drew accusations of establishment favoritism. Platner, who navigated his own controversies including offensive Reddit posts and a Nazi-linked tattoo he has since covered, is backed by Sanders and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. A fourth candidate, University of Maine adjunct professor Andrea LaFlamme, also qualified for the primary ballot.

Axios has called the primary "one of the messiest primaries in the country, exposing rifts in the party over age, gender and ideology." NPR framed it as "a proxy battle between factions." For Sagadahoc County's roughly 36,699 residents, what started as a scheduling miscommunication became a concentrated preview of those fault lines. The May 7 televised debate will be the first time all three leading candidates stand on the same stage.