Maine Governor Janet Mills, 78, faces widespread ridicule for a new campaign video in her U.S. Senate bid, where she uses profanity to promise action in Washington.
Mills launched her Senate campaign in October and released the promotional clip on Thursday. In it, she declares, ‘I’m running for just one term, because I’m going to go down to Washington and get s**t done.’
Key Campaign Proposals
Mills pushes for congressional term limits, including two six-year Senate terms and six two-year House terms. She argues that many politicians focus excessively on fundraising and reelection, with some lingering in office to enrich themselves at constituents’ expense.
She also calls for banning stock trading by members of Congress. ‘Washington needs change,’ Mills states. ‘Politicians should answer to the people they represent and no one else. That’s how I’ve governed here in Maine, and that’s how I will govern in the Senate.’
Public Backlash
The video’s profanity shocked many viewers, who labeled the effort to appear ‘edgy’ as cringeworthy and misguided. Social media users mocked the attempt, with one sarcastically calling it ‘edgy,’ another deeming it ’embarrassing’ with ‘no rizz,’ and a third decrying an ‘octogenarian using profanity’—though Mills turns 80 next year.
Senate Race Context
Mills challenges incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins, 73, who has held the seat since 1996. Democrats view Collins’s position as a prime flip opportunity to regain Senate control, especially after her vote alongside three other Republicans to limit military actions in Venezuela.
If elected, Mills would enter the Senate at 79 as the oldest freshman senator in U.S. history. She earned endorsement from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer but faces primary challenger Graham Platner, an oyster farmer backed by Senator Bernie Sanders. Platner’s campaign holds nearly triple the funding, per recent reports.
Mills drew scrutiny in October for declining to release her medical records upon entering the race. Maine’s primary election occurs on June 9.
