A brand new ballot paid for by a nationwide Republican group discovered a good race for management of the Maine Legislature this fall, with value of residing crucial concern for voters, adopted by abortion rights.
The survey, paid for by the Republican State Management Committee, which offered detailed info on the ballot to the Bangor Day by day Information, is the primary launched publicly this yr to offer perception on how Maine voters are excited about Maine Home and Senate races.
It highlights the function that inflation and excessive prices of residing might play in November’s election. However practically 1 in 5 voters additionally picked abortion rights as their prime concern, suggesting a doable motivating concern for Democrats in a yr anticipated to be good for Republicans.
The ballot surveyed 600 possible Maine voters from June 28 by way of 30. The margin of error was 4 p.c.
When Mainers have been requested whether or not they have been extra prone to vote for Republicans or Democrats in state legislative races this fall, the ballot discovered a digital tie, with 48 p.c of voters saying they’d undoubtedly or most likely vote for the Democratic candidate in contrast with 47 p.c undoubtedly or most likely voting for the Republican and 5 p.c not sure.
Amongst impartial voters, 49 p.c favored the Republican candidate in contrast with 44 p.c saying they’d vote for a Democrat. However the Democratic social gathering registration edge within the state put the social gathering now answerable for Augusta barely forward.
Management of each legislative chambers is up for grabs this yr, with Maine anticipated to have among the many best legislative elections within the U.S. The governor’s race can also be anticipated to be a good battle, with early polls displaying Gov. Janet Mills solely barely forward of former Gov. Paul LePage.
The brand new ballot discovered Maine Democrats nonetheless working forward of an unpopular President Joe Biden. Fifty-two p.c of voters held an unfavorable view of the Democratic president, whereas solely 45 p.c seen him favorably.
A plurality of voters — 31 p.c — cited value of residing as crucial concern for the state authorities to deal with. Defending abortion proper was the second mostly cited concern, with 18 p.c of voters saying it must be the highest precedence.
The polling was carried out only a few days after the U.S. Supreme Courtroom overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade choice, leaving the choice about whether or not to maintain abortion authorized as much as lawmakers. Maine has sturdy authorized protections for abortion that Mills and legislative Democrats have promised to maintain. Republicans have largely shied from the difficulty in latest weeks, saying voters care extra in regards to the economic system.
The ballot additionally offered some perception into the type of messaging Republicans might attempt to latch on this fall. Practically 7 out of 10 voters surveyed mentioned they’d be much less prone to assist a candidate who backed laws to boost the fuel tax.
Forward of a particular Maine Senate election in June, Republicans regarded to focus on a carbon tax invoice launched in 2019 by a bunch of Democratic lawmakers, together with now-Sen. Nicole Grohoski, D-Ellsworth, within the context of excessive fuel costs now, although lawmakers shortly killed the measure after opposition from Mills.
Grohoski nonetheless received that election handily over former Sen. Brian Langley, R-Ellsworth. The district is amongst these each events will goal once more within the fall with the identical two candidates on the poll for a full two-year time period.
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