A Governor Versus an Oyster Farmer
A look at where the polls place Janet Mills and Graham Platner, and how Susan Collins fares against them both
Today, 77-year-old governor of Maine, Janet Mills, threw her hat into the ring against her 40-year-old progressive opponent, Graham Platner. With the backing of the Democratic establishment, Mills is hoping to act as a Joe Biden–esque figure for Maine by defeating Susan Collins and retiring at the end of her Senate term, which would have her leaving office at roughly 86 years old.
So where do Maine residents stand a year out from the state’s Senate election?
Polling by Zenith Research, on behalf of More Perfect Union, suggests Mills’ net favorability sits at +4% statewide, while the senator from one state over, Bernie Sanders, holds a +14% net favorable rating.
Platner remains largely unknown to most Mainers, with 70% saying they’re unsure how they feel about him or don’t know who he is. Among those who do, his net favorable rating stands at +12%.
Susan Collins sits at -7%, among Maine residents.
That same poll asked a ballot question featuring Platner and Mills against their Republican opponent, Susan Collins, which we’ll return to in a moment. We also received an internal poll from Platner’s campaign in August, though it’s unclear which firm conducted it.
That internal poll put Platner at 48% compared to Collins’ 32%, with another 20% of respondents saying they were either voting for someone else or were undecided between the two.
Mills, on the other hand, was in a much tighter race with Collins, holding a narrow one-point lead that left the two candidates at 43% and 42%, respectively. A slightly smaller share of respondents (15%) were unsure or voting for another candidate.
Now let’s dig into the more recent Zenith poll, which put Platner ahead of Mills, and examine how Maine residents feel about supporting candidates who advocate taxing the rich and instituting Medicare for All.
