New Poll Shows Tight Race for Maine Senate Seat
A recent poll indicates that Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) is narrowly leading, putting her right within the margin of error as she aims to replace Democrat Graham Platner. Platner’s campaign is faltering amid serious sexual assault allegations.
This Wednesday, Platner declared he was suspending his campaign after numerous Democratic figures demanded his resignation over these claims. In light of this, a public opinion poll from Z to A Research shows heightened competition among Democrats seeking to take his place.
Conducted from July 7 to 8 with a sample of 988 likely voters and a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, the poll compares Collins against former Maine CDC Director Nirav Shah, Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and former state Senate President Troy Jackson.
Results showed a 47% to 46% split between Shah and Collins, while Bellows was tied with Collins at 47%. Jackson received 47%, compared to Collins’ 48%. Notably, all these results fall within the poll’s error margin of 3.1 percentage points.
Shah and Jackson have confirmed their intentions to run, while Bellows has expressed he is “seriously considering” the candidacy.
According to insiders, Z to A Research conducted this survey for a pro-Shah group. Interestingly, Platner’s own campaign had released a flash poll on Tuesday showing Jackson leading Collins by 49% to 44%, with Bellows and Shah tied with Collins.
Amid these developments, Democrat Graham Platner put his campaign on hold Wednesday due to the weight of the allegations against him, which he has denied, attributing the situation to political maneuvering.
He emphasized in a video, “My name may be on the ballot right now, but that ballot belongs to the people of Maine.” He adamantly stated, “This is all false. Nothing that is being alleged actually happened. It is not true.”
Platner also criticized the “corporate media” and “political establishment” for acting prematurely, suggesting they denied him a fair chance to challenge the accusations.
On Tuesday, conservative commentator Lindsay Fifield, who dated Platner from 2013 to 2014 and previously alleged physical abuse, accused him of removing condoms without consent after she had specified she wasn’t using birth control. Platner’s camp refuted these claims, labeling them as “categorically false and politically motivated.”
Fifield recounted that he would engage in this behavior in a sneaky manner. She explained her decision to speak up was partly to demonstrate that others were not just isolated incidents regarding consent issues with Platner.
Legal definitions vary, but removing a condom without consent is described as “stealthing,” which amounts to sexual assault in some jurisdictions. Fifield stated that the alleged instances occurred in Washington, D.C., where such practices are legally condemned.
She alleged that this behavior happened about six times and shared that when she confronted him, Platner often dismissed it, even laughing off her concerns.
Fifield initially chose to keep these details private due to personal fears of embarrassment but has since shared this information with at least one close friend after the relationship ended.
Her allegations follow similar accusations from Jenny Racicot, who stated Platner had assaulted her in 2021, culminating in an incident of rape while he was intoxicated, which he supposedly does not recall.
As a result of these serious allegations, a number of Democrats— including Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont), who previously defended Platner—have called on him to withdraw from the race against Collins.
