Janet Mills, the Maine governor, on Thursday dropped her bid for the US Senate just weeks before the Democratic primary in a race that reflected an internal party debate over how to win one of this year’s most competitive Senate seats.

“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 that political campaigns unfortunately require today: the financial resources,” Mills said in a statement. “That is why today I have made the incredibly difficult decision to suspend my campaign for the United States Senate.”

Mills, a two-term governor and longtime Maine politician, was seen as one of Democrats’ top 2026 recruits when she entered the Senate race last year. She had the backing of Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader, and prominent left-leaning advocacy groups hoping to unseat Susan Collins, a Republican senator, and help the party win control of the closely divided Senate.

But Mills struggled to outshine Graham Platner, a first-time candidate and her opponent in the 9 June Democratic primary. Platner has maintained strong popularity despite facing controversy over past comments he made online and a tattoo he had that is widely recognized as a Nazi symbol.

The contest between Platner and Mills was part of a broader debate within the Democratic party over how best to defeat Republicans and win back some power in Donald Trump’s Washington, where the GOP controls the White House and both chambers of Congress.

More details to come