Adam Lee of Cumberland has spent the last 40 years actively involved in Maine politics and environmental causes.

For a while, we had four good Democratic candidates vying for Sen. Susan Collins’ seat. Then we had three. Soon it may be two.

I had lunch with Graham Platner and thought he was terrific, with his military background, booming voice and tattoos, to say nothing of his hard-working oysterman ethos. He seemed great. Then the opposition research kicked in.

Now I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. I already decided I wasn’t supporting Platner for Senate, and not because of something he did or said 10 or 20 years ago. I wasn’t supporting him because he did not have the experience I thought necessary to win against Susan Collins.

And then there’s Jordan Wood, who I’ve also gone to lunch with. Wood has had years of political experience as the chief of staff to California’s Katie Porter. He is incredibly sharp but somehow can’t seem to rise above the fray.

And finally, there was Dan Kleban, who has since dropped out of the race. Kleban, a co-founder of Maine Beer Company, has shown us you can start a business in Maine, treat your employees right by providing health insurance and fair pay and make really good beer.

The only thing these candidates are lacking is what Gov. Janet Mills has in spades — years of experience in office and a track record of winning political races.

Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you that I have always said that no one wins against Susan Collins. It’s not that I think she is the best person for the job, I just never thought we could win. The last time an incumbent Senator lost reelection in Maine was when Republican William Cohen defeated Democratic incumbent William Hathaway, in 1968.

There was a time that I thought Sen. Collins was a moderating influence in the Senate, but that time has long since passed. Mainers have gotten tired of Collins standing on the sidelines while the Republicans try to decimate everything from health care to Social Security. I believe that Gov. Mills can not only beat Collins, I think she is the right person for the job.

Gov. Mills is tough; we all know that. When she makes her mind up, she does not back down. What Maine, and the nation, need is a senator who cares about the people and has a backbone. It is time to end the wishy-washy, timid representation that we have had with Susan Collins.

Gov. Mills has shown us that she cares about Maine’s people. One of her first actions as governor was to expand MaineCare, covering an additional 100,000 people. The people of Maine voted for this in 2017 but the Republicans, from Paul LePage down to the Legislature, refused to honor their wishes.

She has worked to increase the state’s share of school funding, she expanded the free lunch program for children, she made community college free for as long as possible and she got public school teachers higher pay.

During her time as governor, Maine has experienced the highest GDP growth in all New England, outpacing powerhouse states like New York and California. She has also rebuilt Maine’s rainy-day fund to almost $1 billion.

Janet Mills has given us a lifetime of community service. She was the district attorney for counties in western Maine.

Mills was the attorney general for eight years, protecting us from many of the destructive policies of Paul LePage. As governor, she steered us through the pandemic with the some of the lowest fatality rates of any state in the nation. (The only state with a lower rate in 2020 was Vermont.)

I know she is the oldest candidate running, but that should not rule her out. She is sharp as a tack, has infinite reserves of energy and can tear up the dance floor. When Warren Buffet, at 95, retired, his board wanted him to continue running Berkshire Hathaway. Age does not rule out success.

Maine needs a senator who will vote for Maine. We need a senator who knows what they think and sticks to their principles, never forgetting the people that they work for.

Gov. Mills has an incredible amount of experience. She knows Maine, and she will stand up for what we believe in whether it’s women’s rights, immigrants’ rights and the rights of all Mainers.

Like Ed Muskie, George Mitchell, Olympia Snowe and Angus King, she would represent all of Maine and make us proud. I am in all in behind Gov. Janet Mills for Maine’s next senator.