Democratic Gov. Janet Mills delivers her State of the State address, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024, at the State House in Augusta, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
After the posts were deleted, reactions started to flood in online.
"In a now deleted tweet at 4:30pm on a Friday before a holiday weekend, Janet Mills confirms she is in fact running for Senate … Some poor digital staffer is about to get fired!" posted National Republican Senatorial Committee staffer Joanna Rodriguez.
A progressive political commentator named Jack Cocchiarella commented, "If you thought democratic politics was missing geriatric candidates with no charisma, wait until you meet 77 year old Janet Mills Chuck Schumer’s pick for Senate. She posted this launch video today then deleted it after two hours."
Mills’ announcement has been long anticipated. She is seen as the favored candidate by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
The top Democrat in the Senate urged Mills to run and sees her as the best candidate to defeat Collins, the only Republican senator up for re-election next year in a state the Democrats carried in the presidential election. A Collins defeat would be essential for the Democrats to have any chance of winning back the Senate majority.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has thrown his support behind Graham Platner, a U.S. Marine and Army veteran and oyster farmer, who launched a Democratic run for the Senate in August. (Joe Maher)
"It's disappointing that some Democratic leaders are urging Governor Mills to run. We need to focus on winning that seat & not waste millions on an unnecessary & divisive primary," Sanders added.
Other candidates vying for the Democratic Senate nomination include Dan Kleban, a co-founder of the Maine Beer Co., and former congressional staffer Jordan Wood, who raked in roughly $3 million during the July-September third quarter of fundraising.
Phil Rench, a former senior engineer for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is running as an independent candidate.
Collins first won election to the Senate in 1996 and won comfortable double-digit re-elections in 2002, 2008, and 2014.
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President Donald Trump and Maine Gov. Janet Mills clashed at the White House over executive order compliance earlier this year. (Pool via AP; Win McNamee/Getty Images)
She currently chairs the influential Senate Appropriations Committee.
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In her 2020 re-election, Collins faced off against Democratic State House Speaker Sara Gideon, in a hotly contested race that became the most expensive in Maine history. While polls indicated Collins trailing her Democratic challenger, she ended up winning the election by more than eight points.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Peter Pinedo is a politics writer for Fox News Digital.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/democrat-prematurely-announces-senate-campaign-launch-quickly-deletes-post