by Ben Whedon
Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, appears to have taken the lead in the Maine Senate contest against Democratic candidate Graham Platner, a recent survey has shown.
The incumbent Collins took 50% support among registered voters in the latest Fox News survey. Platner trailed with 47%. The three-point margin of error means the race is still a statistical tie.
The survey may be an outlier, however. The RealClearPolitics average, which includes the Fox News poll, currently gives Platner a 0.7% lead. The other three surveys in the average show Platner ahead by 1-3%.
Potentially helping Platner is the voter enthusiasm gap. Overall, 76% percent of Democrats said they were “extremely motivated” to vote, while 61% of Republicans said the same.
The survey was conducted between June 23-27 and polled 1,003 registered voters in Maine, with a margin of error of +/- 3%.
According to the Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election analyst, the Maine Senate race is currently rated a toss-up.
Regarding Planter as an opponent, Collins told Fox News, “I never expected to have an opponent like Graham Platner. He is very different from me. He’s the antithesis of the steady leadership that I provide and Washington that has delivered real results for the state of Maine and for our nation.”
A recent New York Times poll had Collins beating Platner by two points, but within the margin of error, making the race a statistical tie.
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Ben Whedon is a reporter for Just the News. Zachery Schmidt is the digital editor of The Star News Network and contributed to this story.
Photo “Susan Collins” by Susan Collins. Photo “Graham Platner” by Graham Platner.
