Poll Indicates Tight Race in Maine Senate Contest

There’s some troubling news out of Maine as an internal poll for Senate candidate Graham Platner raises concerns about his chances against incumbent Senator Susan Collins.

The poll, conducted by Public Policy Polling, has Mr. Platner slightly ahead of Collins, recording 49% to 45% among registered voters. However, it’s worth noting the margin of error is just over 3.8 percentage points, which keeps things quite close.

About 6% of those polled remain undecided, which is a crucial demographic in any election.

Interestingly, this figure shows a decline from his earlier 7.8 percentage point lead over Collins, as reported by the RealClearPolitics vote tally, which only reflected numbers before a significant scandal came to light.

To put things in context, Collins had a solid 8.6 percentage point win in her last election, and Platner’s approval ratings were about 5 percentage points lower than Collins’ during the 2020 race.

Platner’s campaign appears optimistic; they’ve described this latest poll as “slightly stronger” than their previous one conducted back in mid-May. Yet, it’s unclear what that poll revealed or if it came from the same polling organization.

The campaign is also celebrating an increase in small-dollar donations, reporting an 18% rise compared to the previous week, along with a notable 27% increase in contributions from Maine residents.

Despite the silver lining, Platner’s campaign is emerging after some serious allegations. Reports surfaced claiming he had inappropriate relationships with several women during his marriage, with campaign officials confirming contact with up to six, though other sources suggest it might be as many as twelve.

In addition to that, it was discovered that he had a profile on Kik, an app notorious for secretive communication and affairs.

These recent allegations follow troubling posts attributed to him on Reddit, which have since been deleted, that suggested sexual assault survivors should “take some responsibility” and included dismissive remarks about veterans and rural Americans.

Perhaps the most shocking controversy unfolded last October when it was revealed that he had once sported a “Totenkopf” tattoo, associated with the Nazi SS. Platner has since denied knowing the symbol’s implications and has spoken out against such associations.

The internal poll was carried out from June 2-3, with responses from 670 registered voters in Maine.