EMILY’s List, a major Democratic group that backs Democratic women candidates who support abortion access, announced on Tuesday that it’s backing Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) in the Senate contest to take on Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) next year.
 
“This moment demands someone with backbone and grit, someone who has proven she will fight Trump head on and defeat him when he tries to hurt Maine - that is Janet Mills,” EMILY’s List Jessica Mackler said in a statement.
 
“When the stakes are this high, we should leave nothing to chance. Janet Mills is the only candidate in this race who is going to defeat Susan Collins,” she added.
 
Mills announced on Tuesday that she would be running for the Democratic nomination to go head-to-head with Collins, a five-term moderate GOP incumbent. Her announcement is a win for Senate Democratic leadership, who courted her to run in the race.
 
Mills joins a crowded primary for the Democratic nomination, though some progressives and several prominent youth organizations are backing oyster farmer and military vet Graham Platner, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
 
Collins’ seat is seen as one of the Democrats’ best pickup opportunities next year in the Senate, though the GOP senator has proved to be a formidable challenger. The nonpartisan election handicapper Cook Political Report rates Collins’ seat “lean Republican.”