Harris grows her lead over Trump among Maine voters: poll

Maine voters overall are indicating increasing support for Vice President Kamala Harris over former President Donald Trump for the upcoming presidential election, but recent polling has found the race is still up in the air among likely voters in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.

A majority of likely voters in Maine (55%) said they would vote for Harris “if the election were held today,” according to The Pine Tree State Poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released Wednesday. Another 38% said they would vote for Trump, with independent and Green Party candidates getting a sliver of voter support.

Those numbers are much tighter among voters in the 2nd Congressional District, where Harris still leads Trump but falls short of getting a majority with 49% of likely voters compared to 44% for Trump.

Though outside the margin of error of 3.1 percentage points for the survey, pollsters still declared that race too close to call.

Harris’ favorability among Maine voters has grown since July 21, when President Joe Biden announced he would not be seeking re-election and instead endorsed the vice president.

Harris raised $200 million in the first week of her candidacy, with multiple dedicated fundraising events in Maine attended by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff. New voter registrations in Maine also spiked in the weeks after she jumped into the race.

Young Maine voters and those from diverse communities told Maine Morning Star that they felt reinvigorated by Harris’ candidacy after Biden dropped out. Many also detailed concerted efforts to mobilize new voters.

Days after Biden stepped down, the Pine Tree State Poll found that 48% of likely voters statewide would vote for Harris and 40% for Trump. Independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also had more support back in July with 4% compared to the 2% he had among voters in the most recent survey.

While Harris and Trump have overwhelming support (92%) from self-described liberals and conservatives, respectively, the vice president also has support from more than two-thirds of moderates.

The Pine Tree State Poll surveyed 999 people between Aug. 15-19 using a sample drawn from a web panel of Maine residents and inviting others via text message. Included in the sample were 951 likely general election voters.

Running mates

The August poll also asked Maine voters about the presidential candidates’ running mates on the November ticket. Among Harris supporters, which was 529 of those who took the survey, 59% said they are enthusiastic about Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Another 29% are satisfied.

Among the 373 Trump supporters who took the survey, 37% of them are enthusiastic about Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio being Trump’s running mate and another 47% are satisfied.

Walz was not selected as Harris’ vice president pick by the July poll. Enthusiasm and satisfaction with Vance have remained consistent, moving a percentage point or two between July and August.

Maine Morning Star is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Maine Morning Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Lauren McCauley for questions: info@mainemorningstar.com. Follow Maine Morning Star on Facebook and X.