Brewery co-founder Dan Kleban drops out of Senate race in Maine and endorses Gov. Janet Mills as Democrats hope to flip seat in 2026

 October 15, 2025

Dan Kleban has dropped out of the race for U.S. Senate and endorsed fellow Democrat and Maine Gov. Janet Mills in the challenge to unseat Sen. Susan Collins (R) in next year's election, The Hill reported. The Maine Beer Co. co-founder made the announcement Tuesday that he would be one fewer candidate in a crowded primary. 

"Today, I am suspending my campaign for U.S. Senate and enthusiastically endorsing Governor Janet Mills. Right now, our country is at a crossroads," Kleban said in a video statement shared to X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday.

"Susan Collins is not doing what’s right for the state of Maine, and hardworking Mainers are literally paying the price—housing, health care, groceries, and electric bills are all too high and getting worse. I believe Governor Mills will win next year and put Mainers first by addressing these pressing issues," the beer brewer added.

Challengers

It was only last month when Kleban threw his name into the running, and now he's dropped out and made way for Mills. Perhaps not so coincidentally, the governor entered the fray on Tuesday, marking another big name to run in the Democratic primary.

Mills was a favorite for Senate Democrats hoping to capture votes from a majority of the people in Maine. With a term-limited governor who won more than half of the statewide vote both times she ran for the state's top executive, Democrats are hopeful they can flip the seat from red to blue.

Others vying for a crack at the Senate seat include Graham Platner, a veteran and oyster farmer, and Jordan Wood, who was the chief of staff to Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA). However, it seems that Mills has the upper hand among the current candidates as early analysis suggests that the seat becomes in play with the governor on the ballot.

According to NPR, the Democratic Party's chances of picking up more seats in 2026 are slim, so they are pinning all their hopes on the 77-year-old who made a name for herself by opposing President Donald Trump. In February, Trump threatened to pull funding from states that would continue to allow men to play in women's sports despite a federal ban on the practice.

The Maine governor took Trump to court over the issue and won, which she touted in her campaign launch video shared to X. "I've never backed down from a bully and I never will. Donald Trump is ripping away health care from millions, driving up costs, and giving corporate CEOs massive tax cuts. And Susan Collins is helping him. My life’s work has prepared me for this fight—and I'm ready to win," she captioned it.

Democrats are hopeful

In the launch video, Mills shared footage of a confrontation with Trump that all but guarantees full Democratic support. In fact, the entire thrust of her candidacy comes from her promise to square off with the "bully" Trump in the hopes that Democrats can once again be successful as the opposition party.

"My life's work has prepared me for this fight, and I'm ready to win. This election will be a simple choice: Is Maine going to bow down or stand up? I know my answer," Mills said in the video.

"When I was a little girl growing up in Farmington, my father always said you have to stand up to bullies. You can't let them have their way, or they'll never stop. And I think that's what's going on in Congress right now ... Congress is not standing up to him. Susan Collins is not standing up to him," Mills added.

If Mills wins the primary and goes on to become the senator for Maine, she will be 79 by that time, and Trump will be heading into the last half of his presidency. This fact is sad as Democrats are running their same playbook and believing that opposing Trump is all they have to do to get elected.

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