Working through my usual morning routine early Saturday, I glanced out the window and saw Bambi. He/she had wandered over the stone wall that delineates my ground from that of my neighbor, Joey Norton, the stone mason extraordinaire. The critter examined a large rhododendron, decided not to dine on the leaves recently freed from the winter frost, flicked up his/her white tail, and vanished into the forest.

It was a placid beginning to a turbulent political  day. I am, of course, referring to Gov. Janet Mills' surprising decision to suspend her campaign for the June Democratic primary and a chance to battle Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) for  the right to represent us in the Senate. She based her decision on a lack of fiscal support.

On paper, Mills v. Collins had all the earmarks of a classic political battle. Gov. Mills, 78, has had a long and distinguished career in public service that includes serving in the legislature, two terms as attorney general, and two terms as governor. Senate democratic party leaders, looking for a candidate to challenge Collins, asked her to run. Collins, 73, is seeking her sixth, six-year term.

In the modern political era, where women are in the majority and gender issues are on the front burner, a race between two accomplished public servants, who just happen to be female, seemed to be a battle for the ages. But we do not live in normal times.

Over the last several months, Mills found herself in a contest with a surprising rookie challenger. He is Graham Platner, 41, an oyster farmer and former combat Marine whose public service included serving on the planning board and as harbormaster of Sullivan, population 1,303.

After being recruited by some progressive/labor operatives who saw a video of him leading local fishermen in opposition to a proposed commercial fish farm, he agreed to give it a shot. He barnstormed the state, his rough and compelling/combative progressive message drawing larger and larger crowds to elementary school gyms and local halls. In an era where thousands of Maine Anti-Trumpers rallied at last month's “No Kings” events from Portland to Deer Isle, the rough veteran who made his living from the sea found surprising support.

As expected, opposition researchers quickly found he had made some stupid, sexist online remarks some 15 years ago and discovered a tattoo on his chest that may or may not have been a Nazi symbol. Platner didn’t dodge, deny, or obfuscate the accusations. Instead of the usual political rope-a-dope, he fessed up, saying they were linked to his combat experience. As for the tattoo, he said he didn’t know it was a Nazi-style meme, and he re-inked over it.

Mills opened her campaign attacking Platner for his remarks and tattoo. Everyone claims they hate nasty political attack ads, but political operatives embrace them because they seem to work. In this case, they didn’t. After polls showed him in the lead, Mills soon pulled them from the airwaves.

However, similar dark attack ads highlighting his remarks and the tattoo have recently surfaced under the guise of Pine Tree Results PAC. In a post from Maine Public, Pine Tree Results was described this way: “Pine Tree Results has amassed more than $12 million in contributions from an array of wealthy donors, including Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, New Balance Chairman James Davis, and Palantir CEO Alex Karp. At $3 million, its largest contributor is Stronger America, Inc., which does not disclose its donors. It has also received $1 million from the Lexington Fund. Open Secrets recently reported that the Lexington Fund shares the same address as an organization with connections to judicial activist Leonard Leo, who owns a home in Bar Harbor.”

On the surface, it looks like Collins has lots of money to push her into a sixth term. Platner reports he is mostly funded by individual donors, although he said he accepts some PAC funds in line with organized labor.

Collins has a track record of winning in a state that has recently favored Democrats in major offices. But the polls say the Trump administration, especially with the recent war triggering high gas prices ($4.50 per gallon), is more unpopular. And Collins seems to be a part supporter/part opposer of Trump.

As for Platner, is he riding a winning wave of support, or is he a flash in the pan?

Tune in, dear readers. Like 1968 (if you can still remember it), the 2026 Maine Senate race may be a political battle for the history books.