Graham Platner holds a 9-percentage-point lead over Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) in a hypothetical general election matchup for Maine’s Senate seat, according to new polling.The Pine Tree State Poll from the University of New Hampshire found that 51% of likely general election voters say they would support Platner “if the election were held today,” compared with 42% for Collins. Two percent said they would back another candidate, while 6% remain undecided.The survey indicates little change in the race since February, before former Gov. Janet Mills (D-ME) exited the contest. Despite dropping out, Mills is still expected to appear on the June 9 Democratic primary ballot and could still receive support in that contest.
Collins has held her Senate seat for nearly three decades after taking office in 1997.
Platner, a Democratic populist running with backing from progressive figures including Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), has positioned himself as a fresh challenge to the longtime incumbent.
However, Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) has declined to support his campaign, citing controversy surrounding a tattoo he said resembled a Nazi symbol.
“As I said months ago, I find Platner’s Nazi tattoo and his commentary about it personally disqualifying,” Auchincloss wrote in a post on Monday. “If it were me, I’d vote for someone else in the Maine Democratic primary.”
