Who will Democrats find to run against Susan Collins in 2026?
By Billy Kobin, Bangor Daily News Staff
Gov. Janet Mills looms over the Democratic effort to find someone who can oust U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in 2026, and the first candidate may kick off their race by the end of the month.
A young activist, the Penobscot Nation chief, a top lawmaker and a former state senator are among the Democrats who have either indicated they may run or are being floated as potential candidates against Collins. The Republican is going for a historic sixth term in the Senate in a race that both national parties view as key in determining control of the upper chamber.
Polling shows that Collins could be vulnerable in her Democratic-leaning state. But the field is hardly settled, with plenty of bigger names considering next year’s race to replace the term-limited Mills. She has only refused to rule out a Senate run but remains the most closely watched figure attached to the race on the Democratic side.
Spokespeople for Mills, who gained attention after President Donald Trump sparred with her in February and began targeting Maine over the state’s transgender athlete policies, did not share updates this week. But others with political resumes are popping up in Democratic circles.
The other potential candidates include Penobscot Nation Chief Kirk Francis of Bangor, House Speaker Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, former Sen. Cathy Breen, D-Falmouth, and Jordan Wood of Bristol, who worked for a decade in national Democratic politics, including a stint as chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter of California.
Wood, a 35-year-old Lewiston native, could be the first Democrat to run, with Politico reporting this week that he has informed fellow party members of his plans. He returned to Maine in 2021 and recently left democracyFIRST, a political group that he cofounded a year later that seeks to “identify, isolate and defeat politicians who threaten the future of our democracy and republic.”
“I feel strongly that Mainers need better representation right now and am thinking seriously about what my role in that looks like, including as a candidate,” Wood said Thursday.
Francis has a long history in Maine politics after leading the Penobscot Nation since 2006. He was first elected to its council at age 21 and also serves as president of a group that represents 33 federally recognized tribes stretching from the Northeast to the Gulf of Mexico.
The 55-year-old is considering a Senate bid but has not yet made a final decision, according to a person assisting him with his plans. Francis, who played semi-professional hockey in Canada after graduating from the University of Southern Maine, has also been a key figure in a legislative push for expanded tribal sovereignty that Mills has opposed.
Francis wrote in a March op-ed that Trump and Elon Musk’s aggressive cost-cutting efforts were having “devastating impacts” on tribal communities. The U.S. Department of the Interior paused $4 million given to the Penobscot Nation to acquire 30,000 acres in the Penobscot River watershed.
Collins said this month the funding was restored after she spoke with Francis and had “further consultation” with the Trump administration in a news release that also quoted the chief. But she did not take a stance in 2022 on a stalled bill that would expand tribal sovereignty. After Mills vetoed similar legislation, Collins only encouraged the sides to continue dialogue.
Fecteau, 32, was picked in November to serve again as House speaker after becoming in 2020 the first openly gay member to hold the gavel. He has led changes to Maine’s housing and zoning laws. He is also being sued by Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, a key figure in Trump’s battle with Maine who claims the speaker violated her constitutional rights by using a House rule to revoke her voting privileges.
“I haven’t made any decisions,” Fecteau said Monday in regard to a Senate bid.
Breen, 59, represented Portland-area towns in the Senate from 2014 to 2020 and served on the Legislature’s environment and budget committees. She became director of government affairs for Maine Conservation Voters last year, a role that keeps her active in State House hallways.
Regarding a bid for Collins’ seat, Breen said Tuesday she is “not in a position to discuss yet.”
Collins first won election to the Senate in 1996 and said during that campaign she would only seek two terms. Sabato’s Crystal Ball at the University of Virginia has categorized her 2026 race as leaning Republican but expects the contest to move toward a “toss up.” The Cook Political Report also currently gives Collins the edge, calling the centrist “the Democrats’ white whale.”
A Morning Consult poll released earlier in April found her disapproval rating among Maine voters rose from 44 percent the previous quarter to 51 percent, with Collins the second-least popular senator nationally. But she has already proven that approval does not decide elections.
She beat former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon, D-Freeport, by nearly 10 percentage points in 2020 after every public poll ahead had put the incumbent behind Gideon. Before that, she posted double-digit victories in each of her first three reelection races.
Although Collins has irked conservatives in Maine by voting against Trump and his priorities, her national party is firmly backing her. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-South Dakota, instructed his caucus to give Collins flexibility to vote no on some nominees and said she is likely the only Republican who can win Democratic-led Maine, The New Yorker reported.
“I am not going to comment on or speculate about undeclared candidates who may or may not decide to run,” Collins campaign spokesperson Shawn Roderick said.
National Democrats have sought to tie Collins to Trump’s aggressive tariffs and Republican proposals that may affect Social Security and health programs, although Collins opposes tariffs on Canada and voted against a GOP budget plan over Medicaid cut concerns.
“Mainers know Susan Collins isn’t standing up for them, and in 2026, they will hold her accountable for selling them out,” Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesperson Maeve Coyle said.