Mills picks up abortion rights endorsements in heated Maine Senate primary

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) favors Mills, while progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) have backed Platner.
• The endorsement is part of the group's first slate of 2026 picks, first shared with Axios, that also includes former Gov. Roy Cooper in North Carolina, former Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio and Rep. Chris Pappas in New Hampshire.
• Reproductive Freedom for All, formerly known as NARAL, is one of the largest abortion rights groups in the country.

What they're saying: "Sherrod Brown, Roy Cooper, Janet Mills, and Chris Pappas are the champions we need in the Senate to defend our reproductive freedom and hold the Trump administration accountable," Mini Timmaraju, president and CEO of Reproductive Freedom for All, said in a statement to Axios.

• "The last three election cycles have shown that voters will keep showing up to support candidates who will fight for abortion rights – and Reproductive Freedom for All is ready to help deliver historic victories and flip the Senate in 2026," she added.

The intrigue: EMILYs List, a Democratic group that works to elect pro-choice women candidates, claimed in an internal polling memo in November that Platner is a political liability.

• The memo highlighted comments Platner made in deleted Reddit posts about victims of sexual assault, including saying victims should "just take some responsibility for themselves" to avoid attacks and "act like an adult for f–cks sake." Platner apologized for his posts after they became stories in October.
• "Taking back control of the Senate relies on winning this seat and the stakes are much too high. We cannot afford to put that responsibility in the hands of this man," EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler said in a statement.