Independent Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont joined U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner of Maine on stage on Labor Day in front of a packed crowd, campaigning for the Democratic candidate looking to defeat longtime Republican Senator Susan Collins.

Why It Matters

Collins, 72, was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996. She is seeking to secure her sixth term during the November 2026 midterm elections. Democrats have repeatedly attempted to defeat Collins, a task that has become more integral for the party in its efforts to take back the Senate majority after next year’s elections.

Platner, a 40-year-old businessman and military veteran, announced roughly two weeks ago that he was entering the Democratic primary. He faces challenges in Jordan Wood, the former vice president of liberal campaign group End Citizens United, who, according to Politico, has already raised $1.6 million. Maine Governor Janet Mills may also jump into the fray, as Maine Public Radio reported that she has been heavily lobbied by national Democratic figures to launch a bid.

What To Know

Sanders appeared with Platner and Maine gubernatorial candidate Troy Jackson, a former Maine senator, in Portland, Maine, on Monday. The senator’s office said that approximately 6,500 people came out for the rally.

“More than 6,500 people turned out in Portland, ME tonight for a Labor Day rally to see the next senator and governor of the great state of Maine @grahamformaine and @TroyJackson207,” Sanders said on X. “Great crowd. Great energy. Thank you, Maine!”

Anna Bahr, communications director for Sanders, wrote on X that Maine represented the 20th state the longtime senator has visited since his “Fighting Oligarchy” tour began in February.

“He has traveled to California and Maine and many, many places in between,” Bahr wrote. “34 rallies. [Approximately] 300,000 Americans have turned out to hear him speak.”

Newsweek reached out to Sanders’ office via email for additional remarks.

“Together with the labor movement of Maine, together with@BernieSanders—we will defeat the oligarchy, and we will defeat Susan Collins,” Platner wrote on X.

During the rally, Platner echoed some of Sanders’ longtime sentiments within Congress and as a presidential candidate, saying: “I am not afraid to name the enemy. The enemy is the oligarchy.”

There are currently 53 Republican Senators in the Senate, including Collins, against 47 who caucus with the Democrats. Taking back the chamber would allow Democrats to pose formidable obstruction to President Donald Trump‘s policies in the final two years of his term, as the president’s party currently has control of both the House and Senate, which has provided him the ability to push through legislation—notably including the One Big Beautiful Bill Act that passed Congress on partisan lines earlier this year.

A survey of 846 registered Maine voters conducted by the University of New Hampshire between June 19 and 23 found Collins had a net approval rating of -43 percent, with only 14 percent of those surveyed approving of her performance.

That total worsened for Collins since a February poll conducted by Like Research Partners, which surveyed 300 Maine voters who gave Collins a net rating of -33 percent, with 31 percent holding a favorable view of her, while 64 percent had an unfavorable one.

Governor Mills enjoyed an overall approval rating of plus 10 in the University of New Hampshire poll, with 51 percent of Mainers viewing her favorably and 41 percent unfavorably.

What People Are Saying

Graham Platner to the gathered crowd in Portland, Maine, on Monday: “Susan Collins’ charade is wearing thin. No one cares that you pretend to be remorseful as you sell out to lobbyists. No one cares while you sell out to corporations and no one cares while you sell out to a president who are all engineering the greatest redistribution of wealth from the working class to the ruling class in American history.”

What Happens Next

Maine Governor Janet Mills told reporters last week that she is “seriously considering the run” and could make a decision by November, according to The Portland Press Herald.

“I’m not in any rush to make a decision. [I have] a lot to do with my present day job, so I’m seriously considering it,” she said.