Maine brewery owner Dan Kleban joins crowded Senate Dem primary

• Kleban, a former attorney who founded his brewery in 2009, announced Wednesday that he will jump into the Senate race.
• Democrats Graham Platner, a Marine and Army veteran who has earned the support of top progressives, and Jordan Wood, a former top staffer on Capitol Hill, are already running for the nomination.
• Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) is also weighing a Senate bid.

The big picture: Kleban, a political outsider, told Axios that the rising cost of living for Mainers will be the centerpiece of his campaign, previewing a "inspirational vision for what the Democratic Party can be."

• On Collins, Kleban said he doesn't think the five-term senator "is up for the job anymore."
• Kleban said Collins has "changed," pointing to her vote in support of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr.
• "This Trump administration is even way worse than I thought it could be," Kleban said. "She refuses to stand up and take the tough vote when she needs to. She refused to stand up to Donald Trump."

Between the lines: Kleban said he plans to lean on his experience as a small business owner, where he provided employees with full health care coverage and retirement benefits, on the campaign trail.

• "They're not inside the beltway experiences, but I think they're extremely valuable experiences and I think we need more of that in D.C.," Kleban said.

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