Raleigh, N.C. – Although her
approval rating has dropped a bit since January, Republican Senator Susan
Collins is still in good shape for re-election. With a 57% overall approval
rating, she still has more than 50% support across all party lines.
Collins leads easily in match-ups with Democrat Chellie Pingree and independent
Eliot Cutler. She also won a match-up with Democratic author Stephen King,
54-31. Yet only 34% of Maine voters think Collins belongs in the Republican
Party, including just 36% of Republicans.
Among likely Republican primary voters, 64% chose Collins for their nominee,
while 24% chose Bruce Poliquin. Voters were split on whether they wanted
Collins or someone more conservative – 47-48. 54% said Obama should be
impeached.
“It’s interesting that Susan Collins isn’t drawing more Tea Party
attention,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “There are a
lot of conservative Republicans who would like to swap her out for someone
else.”
Independent Senator Angus King’s approval was 51-27, up from 44-25 in
January. 71% of Democrats, 26% of Republicans and 50% of Independents approve.
Almost half of respondents think marijuana use should be legal, while 39%
disagree. 80% of respondents said the legalization of same-sex marriage has had
a positive or no impact on their lives so far. 32% of people who described
their race as “other” and 29% of 18-29-year-olds said same-sex marriage has negatively
impacted them.
When asked if they’d rather live in Canada or the south, 44% of respondents
said Canada, while 29% chose the south. More Democrats chose Canada, while
Republicans preferred the south 39-32. George Mitchell is Maine’s favorite politician
with 29% of the vote, followed by Margaret Chase Smith with 22%.
PPP surveyed 953
registered Maine voters, including an oversample of 321 usual Republican primary voters, between August 23-25, 2013. The
margin of error for the overall survey is +/- 3.2%, and +/- 5.5% for the GOP
portion. This poll was not authorized or paid for by any campaign or political
organization. PPP’s surveys are conducted through automated telephone
interviews.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
General Election Toplines
Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator
Susan Collins’ job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 57%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 31%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Chellie Pingree?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 40%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 41%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 19%
Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Stephen King?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 45%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 23%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 32%
Q4 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Bruce Poliquin?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 15%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 36%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 49%
Q5 If the candidates for Senate next year were
Republican Susan Collins and independent
Eliot Cutler, who would you vote for?
Susan Collins………………………………………….. 53%
Eliot Cutler ……………………………………………… 33%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Q6 If the candidates for Senate next year were
Republican Susan Collins and Democrat
Chellie Pingree, who would you vote for?
Susan Collins………………………………………….. 57%
Chellie Pingree ……………………………………….. 34%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%
Q7 If the candidates for Senate next year were
Republican Susan Collins and Democrat
Stephen King, who would you vote for?
Susan Collins………………………………………….. 54%
Stephen King ………………………………………….. 31%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 15%
Q8 If the candidates for Senate next year were
Republican Bruce Poliquin and Democrat
Chellie Pingree, who would you vote for?
Bruce Poliquin…………………………………………. 33%
Chellie Pingree ……………………………………….. 47%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 20%
Q9 Do you think same-sex marriage should be
allowed in Maine, or not?
It should …………………………………………………. 53%
It should not ……………………………………………. 38%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 9%
Q10 Has the legalization of same-sex marriage in
Maine had a positive or negative impact on
your life, or has it not had any impact at all?
Positive impact………………………………………… 18%
Negative impact ………………………………………. 20%
No impact at all ……………………………………….. 62%
Q11 Do you think marijuana usage should be legal
or illegal in Maine?
Legal……………………………………………………… 48%
Illegal …………………………………………………….. 39%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Q12 Do you approve or disapprove of Senator
Angus King’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 51%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 27%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 22%
Q13 Do you think Susan Collins belongs more in the
Democratic Party, the Republican Party, or as
an independent?
Democratic Party …………………………………….. 20%
Republican Party …………………………………….. 34%
Independent……………………………………………. 33%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q14 Given the choices of James Blaine, William
Cohen, Hannibal Hamlin, George Mitchell,
Edmund Muskie, Margaret Chase Smith, and
Olympia Snowe, who do you think is the
greatest politician in Maine history?
James Blaine ………………………………………….. 2%
William Cohen…………………………………………. 6%
Hannibal Hamlin………………………………………. 6%
George Mitchell……………………………………….. 29%
Edmund Muskie ………………………………………. 12%
Margaret Chase Smith……………………………… 22%
Olympia Snowe……………………………………….. 11%
Someone else/Not sure ……………………………. 12%
Q15 If you had to choose, would you rather live in
the South or in Canada?
The South ………………………………………………. 29%
Canada ………………………………………………….. 44%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 27%
Q16 In the last presidential election, did you vote for
Barack Obama or Mitt Romney?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 54%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 38%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 8%
Q17 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 11%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 21%
Moderate………………………………………………… 32%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 21%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 15%
Q18 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 52%
Man……………………………………………………….. 48%
Q19 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 39%
Republican……………………………………………… 32%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 29%
Q20 If you are white, press 1. If other, press 2.
White …………………………………………………….. 93%
Other……………………………………………………… 7%
Q21 If you are 18 to 45 years old, press 1. If 46 to
65, press 2. If you are older than 65, press 3.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 9%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 20%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 49%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 22%
Republican Primary Toplines
Q1 If the Republican candidates for Senate next
year were Susan Collins and Bruce Poliquin,
who would you vote for?
Susan Collins………………………………………….. 64%
Bruce Poliquin…………………………………………. 24%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 12%
Q2 Generally speaking, would you like the
Republican candidate for Senate next year to
be Susan Collins or someone more
conservative than her?
Susan Collins………………………………………….. 47%
Someone more conservative …………………….. 48%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 5%
Q3 Would you support or opposing impeaching
President Obama?
Support ………………………………………………….. 54%
Oppose ………………………………………………….. 32%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 14%
Q4 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 3%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 6%
Moderate………………………………………………… 18%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 36%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 37%
Q5 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 48%
Man……………………………………………………….. 52%
Q6 If you are 18 to 45 years old, press 1. If 46 to
65, press 2. If you are older than 65, press 3.
18 to 45………………………………………………….. 20%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 43%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 37%
