A new poll of Maine’s Senate race shows presumptive Democratic nominee Graham Platner with a 9-point lead over Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
The University of New Hampshire’s Pine Tree State Poll shows Mr. Platner has 51% support among likely general election voters, while Ms. Collins has 42%. Another 6% say they are undecided, with 2% choosing “another candidate.”
The Maine race is considered a key battleground as Democrats seek to retake the Senate, where Republicans now hold a 53-47 edge.
This matchup has been largely unchanged since February, when 49% supported Mr. Platner and 38% supported Ms. Collins. Among Democrats, 91% would support Mr. Platner, while 87% of Republicans would cast their ballots for Ms. Collins. Independents, meanwhile, are divided, with 47% supporting Ms. Collins and 44% supporting Mr. Platner.
The UNH poll is based on a sampling of 1,397 Mainers who responded to an online survey between May 21 and May 25, and has a margin of error of 2.6%.
Mr. Platner is running to unseat Ms. Collins, a five-term senator, but his campaign has been marked by a series of political uproars, which includes a chest tattoo of a skull and crossbones that resembled a Nazi symbol and numerous past offensive Reddit posts.
Mr. Platner said he got the objectionable tattoo when he was drunk and has since covered it up.
Mr. Platner has insisted the political controversies have only “strengthened” his insurgent campaign, saying, “It is amusing for me to watch the campaign described in the media as collapsing or falling apart when internally, we frankly have not felt this strong since the beginning.”
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