This story is truly astonishing and offers more disturbing evidence that escapees from the mental institutions continue to take over the reins of the the Left.

In Maine the Democrats recruited sitting two-term governor Janet Mills to run for Senate and take out Republican Susan Collins. Mills has won two statewide elections and the oddsmakers had her as a favorite to best Collins.

Mills is far from a moderate. She supported and signed the big tax increase this year in Maine, has turned down free money for the state to allow poor kids to attend better private schools, and has greatly expanded the state budget. Mills also supports single-payer healthcare, free college, drug price controls, and a 100% green energy mandate by 2040. She aggressively promotes transgenderism by allowing biological males in girls sports.

Incredibly, that record wasn’t liberal enough for activists and donors. Mills announced last week she’s dropping out because she’s 27 points down in the polls and being outspent by an estimated three to one.

Her opponent, Graham Platner, is, as Bob Dylan would say, a complete unknown. The military veteran’s campaign cash surged when he was endorsed by Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders. He’s singing out of the Mamdani class-warfare songbook and argues that Maine is being ruined by billionaires – even though the entire state has just one billionaire, Dexter shoe heiress Susan Alfond. (As far as we can tell, she is scrupulously nonpolitical, although the rest of the Alfond family are active Democrats.)

Platner is a self-described communist and avowed supporter of “revolutionary violence.” He has a Nazi tattoo on his chest.

The GOP’s chances of holding on to this pivotal Senate seat have just markedly improved. What’s scary though is that Platner could win, making the Warren/Sanders wing of the party even more ascendant.