The co-owner of one of Maine’s largest breweries announced Wednesday that he is joining the crowded field of Democrats hoping to unseat longtime U.S. Sen. Susan Collins in 2026.

Dan Kleban, who founded Maine Beer Co. with his brother, David, in 2009, told the Press Herald that his platform will focus on making life more affordable and standing up for the interests of Mainers — topics he believes no longer concern the Republican incumbent Collins.

“She’s been there for almost 30 years, and somewhere along the way she stopped standing up for Mainers,” he said in an interview. “I think people are sick and tired of it.”

Like fellow Democratic hopeful Graham Platner, who has generated significant interest since his announcement last month, Kleban, 48, is new to electoral politics. But as the head of a successful local business with a charitable tilt (Maine Beer Co. donates 1% of its gross sales to nonprofits), the Cumberland resident has for several years been viewed as a potential contender by Maine Democrats.

Originally from rural southeast Michigan, Kleban moved to Maine in 1999 with his brother and sister-in-law. He graduated from the University of Southern Maine and earned his law degree in Boston. He returned to Portland to begin his career in 2007 but was laid off soon after the Great Recession strangled the world economy.

Unemployed and deep in debt, Kleban remembers being “pissed off” at the reckless Wall Street speculators who caused the crisis. Building Maine Beer Co. with his brother and proving that a company could thrive “by doing what’s right” was his way of putting that frustration to use.
He believes the current moment offers a similar opportunity.

“I look out at (Washington) D.C. right now, and I’m angry again because I don’t see a lot of politicians that are doing what’s right,” he said. “And that includes Susan Collins.”

Kleban repeatedly blasted Collins for failing to stand up for the interests of Maine voters, citing her votes to confirm the nominations of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. He said President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff campaign and $3.4 trillion Big Beautiful Bill will contribute to the rising cost of living, and he criticized Collins for failing to stand up to Trump in situations where her opposition could actually slow his agenda.

Kleban is far from the first challenger to take aim at Collins, 72, and the five-term Republican has long proved resilient. Following the Kavanaugh confirmation, Democrats saw a similar opening to oust Collins five years ago, but she defeated former Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon by a comfortable 9-point margin.

Kleban said he hopes to stand out from a crowded pack by leaning on his personal story of struggle and success and by focusing on practical policies, not just outrage at the state of national politics.

“I think the Democratic Party needs to focus like a laser on making people’s lives better,” he said. “We need to show that we can actually deliver.”

He is the eighth Democrat to enter the race, joining a field that includes David Costello, a Brunswick Democrat who ran unsuccessfully last year against Sen. Angus King, and Jordan Wood, a Bristol Democrat who served as chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif.

Democrats Natasha Alcala, Andrea LaFlamme, Tucker Favreau and Daira Rodriguez have all filed federal campaign finance paperwork for the race, as have Republicans Carmen Calabrese and Daniel Smeriglio, and independent Phillip Rench, a former SpaceX senior engineer.

For now, the biggest Democratic name — Gov. Janet Mills — remains absent from the field. Termed out of the Blaine House next year, Mills, 77, has said she is considering a run and could make a final decision by November.