The Democratic field to take on Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins is getting crowded.
Air Force veteran Daira Smith Rodriguez launched her populist-flavored bid on Thursday, joining several other Democrats vying to unseat the longtime Republican incumbent in one of the party’s top pickup opportunities of the cycle.
In her launch video, Rodriguez goes after the “oligarchy” and the cost of living, and talks about her time taking on the “military industrial defense complex” as a civilian contracting officer.
“It’s important to me that these things work, that we don’t get ripped off, and that our weapons and tax dollars don’t fuel a campaign of genocide in Gaza,” she said, referencing a progressive push to block military arms sales to Israel.
Rodriguez also nods to the Make America Healthy Again movement in her video, saying that “millions of Americans are surrounded by food they can’t eat.”
While Rodriguez is a political newcomer, she is bringing on established campaign staff, including a digital fundraiser for Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid and longtime Democratic pollster Celinda Lake.
She joins oyster farmer Graham Platner, brewery owner Dan Kleban, and former Capitol Hill staffer Jordan Wood. Democratic Gov. Janet Mills — a top recruit for the party — has also started interviewing campaign staff for a potential bid, and she told local reporters she will have a decision by November. Rodriguez will likely be competing for similar voters as Platner, who was quickly endorsed by progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
“Maine needs a senator with the experience of taking on the wealthiest interests in America,” Rodriguez said in her video.
The northeast state is a potential bright spot for Democrats in an otherwise difficult map, but Collins has long been a foil for Democrats in a state that is trending bluer. Vice President Kamala Harris carried Maine by nearly 7 percentage points last year.
