Poll Shows Michaud-Raye Race Tightening
Thu, 07/12/2012 - 7:28am
Posted by handheld
Raye For Congress
7/11/12
Poll Shows Michaud-Raye Race Tightening
The latest poll in the 2nd District race shows the race tightening, with Congressman Michaud's polling numbers in a free-fall, dropping 12 percentage points since December.
Published in today's Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal and Central Maine Morning Sentinel, the new Critical Insights poll reveals that, for the first time in the race, Congressman Michaud is polling under 50%, very dangerous territory for any incumbent. The poll conducted in late June shows Michaud at 47% and Kevin Raye at 35%, with 18% undecided.
Even though the general election campaign has not yet begun in earnest, Michaud's numbers have fallen in each of three successive polls made public since our own internal poll showed Michaud with a 27-point lead in the head-to-head match-up last December, drawing 59% to Raye's 32%. That lead is now down to just 12% with Michaud in the dreaded under-50% category.
In January, Michaud released his own poll showing him at 55%, an early April poll by the left-leaning Maine People's Resource Center showed him at 52%, and the latest poll shows him down to just 47%. These numbers and Michaud's slide in the polls demonstrate Mainer's desire for a stronger voice in Washington.
Here is the excerpt from today's article relating specifically to the 2nd District race:
As expected, the race in Maine's 2nd Congressional District is closer, according to the poll.
Rep. Mike Michaud leads Republican Kevin Raye 47 percent to 35 percent in Maine's 2nd District, where a relatively large block of voters said they are undecided. Michaud's lead is strongest among women and voters 55 to 64 years old and older, according to the poll.
Name Recognition and more conservative voters in central and northern Maine appear to be helping Republican challenger Kevin Raye, Maine's Senate President. There also is a relatively large pool of undecided voters, 18 percent.
Alex Waite, 51, a Democrat who's a paper mill worker from East Millinocket, said he may vote for the republican this time, in part because of frustration with the economy and trade issues. "I am disappointed in the way things went with (Michaud)," Waite said. "I vote for who I think will benefit me and my area" regardless of party, he said.