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Democrat and populist oyster farmer Graham Platner is neck and neck with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) in the Maine Senate race, according to a new survey.
The New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll released Monday showed Platner edging out Collins with 49 percent support to her 47 percent, with a separate 3 percent of respondents refusing to answer or saying they didn’t know who would likely get their vote.
Because the results fall within the survey’s margin of error of 4.8 percentage points, Platner and Collins are effectively tied in the Pine Tree State.
The polling also points to some warning signs for President Trump and Republicans in Maine: Sixty-one percent of those surveyed say the country is headed in the wrong direction, versus 33 percent who say it is on the right track.
On a generic congressional ballot, a Democratic candidate leads a generic Republican candidate by 11 points. Trump’s approval rating in Maine is also underwater, with the president receiving a 59 percent disapproval rating compared with a 38 percent approval rating.
Platner easily won the Democratic primary to take on Collins earlier this month, after Gov. Janet Mills (D) suspended her primary bid earlier this year. Mills and Republicans have sought to use Platner’s controversies — including past Reddit comments downplaying sexual assault and criticizing law enforcement, a since covered-up tattoo that resembles a Nazi symbol and allegations from previous girlfriends of questionable behavior — against the Marine veteran.
Platner has disavowed his past social media remarks, noting he made them during a difficult time in his life after serving in the military. He has said he didn’t know his tattoo resembled a Nazi symbol and got it covered up during his campaign. And he has admitted that he wasn’t a good boyfriend at times in life but disputed the idea that he committed physical misconduct.
Despite those controversies, Platner led Mills overwhelmingly in polling, so much so that the Maine governor, recruited by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) to run in the primary, later suspended her bid.
The new polling suggests that voters may still be able to overlook some of those issues in what’s considered one of Senate Democrats’ best pickup opportunities this year. Still, the polling could very likely change closer to the November elections.
The New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll was conducted between June 19 and June 26 with 608 likely voters in Maine.
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