Gov. Janet Mills ended months of speculation this week by officially entering the Democratic primary to challenge Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins next fall. She joined a crowded field of at least nine other Democratic contenders.

To dive deeper into what Mills’ entrance means for the Democratic primary and for next November's election, Maine Public State House correspondent Kevin Miller spoke with Jim Melcher, a longtime political science professor at the University of Maine Farmington.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Miller: We've all been talking for many months now about whether Gov. Mills would get in. Now that she has joined, does that change the landscape of the race, in your view? And I'd like to start kind of with the big-picture race here, before we get to discus

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