by Joseph Weber
Maine Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, announced Tuesday that she intends to run for incumbent GOP Sen. Susan Collins, mentioning President Trump by name and saying she “never backed down from a tyrant.”
Mills’ campaign launch video includes a clip of Trump confronting her in February at the White House for defying his executive order barring transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
According to Trump, the Department of Education (DOE) opened an investigation into whether Maine violated Title IX that same month Maine Public Radio (MPR). The DOE released its findings in March, finding that the state violated federal law by allowing men to compete in women’s sports, MPR says. Next month, the Department of Justice announced lawsuit against Maine for alleged Title IX violations.
Maine defendant the federal government in April after freezing its funding over alleged Title IX violations. The judge issued a short-lived restraining order that required the Trump administration to provide the state their federal funds. The following month, the two entities agreed to settle the dispute with Maine receiving previously frozen federal funds.
By political race, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer insisted that Mills enter the race, and getting rid of Collins was critical of Democrats’ efforts to regain the Senate majority, according to Fox News. Collins is the only Republican senator running for re-election next year in a state that Democrats held in the presidential election, the news outlet also reported.
But Mills, 77, faces a crowded and competitive primary. And if Mills unseats Collins, she will be the oldest college freshman in U.S. history.
“I have never backed down from a tyrant and I never will,” Mills said when announcing her campaign. “Donald Trump is taking away health care from millions, raising costs and giving CEOs massive tax cuts. And Susan Collins is helping him.”
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Joseph Weber is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is a digital editor Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Susan Collins” by Susan Collins.
