Planned Parenthood Action Fund has officially endorsed Democrat Graham Platner over incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins in Maine’s upcoming Senate race, marking a significant shift from previous support for Collins by the organization’s Maine affiliate.

On Monday in Portland, Alexis McGill Johnson, president and chief executive of the national Planned Parenthood Action Fund, criticized Collins for what she characterized as an inconsistent commitment to reproductive rights. “Senator Collins is a fair-weather feminist at best,” McGill Johnson said, pointing to Collins’s stance on abortion as insufficiently resolute. The endorsement underscores a growing divide over abortion rights in the closely watched race.

Collins, one of two Republican senators who support abortion access, has faced scrutiny over her 2018 vote to confirm Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was part of the majority ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. This decision eliminated the federal constitutional protection for abortion, leading to widespread restrictions in more than two dozen states. Collins has maintained she does not regret her vote, while asserting that Roe would have been overturned regardless of Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Platner has seized on the issue to position himself as a staunch defender of abortion rights and a critic of what he calls Collins’s “establishment” ties. During Monday’s event, he accused Collins and some Democrats of failing to protect abortion access through federal legislation. “She may not regret her vote for Brett Kavanaugh, but there are a lot of Maine voters who regret their vote for her,” Platner said.

The endorsement has complicated the political landscape in Maine, where some Democrats express reservations about Platner following reports concerning his conduct toward women. Still, many voters remain frustrated with Collins, particularly in light of her Supreme Court confirmation vote and its consequences for reproductive rights.

Angela Kuefler, a Democratic strategist who has conducted polling on abortion-related issues, noted that the abortion debate may be pivotal in swaying female voters, who constitute a majority of Maine’s electorate. However, she questioned whether Platner’s challenges could alienate some of these voters despite their dissatisfaction with Collins.

In response to the Planned Parenthood endorsement, Collins’s campaign accused the organization of becoming increasingly partisan. Spokesman Shawn Roderick stated that the group’s leaders have demonstrated growing alignment with Democratic politics during election cycles.

Throughout the Democratic primary, Platner emphasized economic issues, including wealth inequality and taxing billionaires, more than abortion rights. However, his campaign has since incorporated reproductive health as a core issue. He highlighted personal connections to Planned Parenthood’s services, underscoring its role in healthcare access.

Other abortion rights groups have been slower to support Platner. For instance, Reproductive Freedom for All announced a substantial midterm spending plan focused on battleground states such as Arizona, California, Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada, notably excluding Maine.

Maine has protected and expanded abortion access in contrast with many states that enacted restrictions following the Supreme Court decision. The state’s political dynamics, shaped by Collins’s support for Kavanaugh and the broader national debate on abortion, have made the upcoming Senate race an intense referendum on reproductive rights ahead of the midterm elections.