Harris leading Trump by 8 points in Maine: Poll

Vice President Harris leads former President Trump by 8 points in Maine about 100 days out from November’s election, according to a poll from the University of New Hampshire released Friday. 

The poll showed 48 percent of voters supporting Harris, 40 percent backing Trump, 4 percent for independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and 1 percent each for third-party candidates Jill Stein and Cornel West.

The poll was conducted after President Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race on Sunday; 48 percent of Maine residents surveyed said they were “relieved” he withdrew from the race, including 50 percent of both Democrats and independent voters.

There’s a stark break in support for Harris between Maine’s two Electoral College districts — along with Nebraska, the Pine Tree State is one of two in the country that splits its presidential votes. In Maine’s southern 1st District, which leans heavily to the left, Harris leads by 20 points. While the northern 2nd District, which Trump won in 2016 and 2020, the 45th president leads by 4 points.

The poll is another positive sign for the vice president’s newly established campaign. In an April 30 poll conducted by Digital Research in April, Biden led by just 2 points in Maine, lagging far behind his 2020 performance. 

Harris is viewed more favorably than the GOP ticket and than Biden, with a 42 percent approval rate. In comparison, Trump is at 36 percent, and Biden follows at 34 percent.

Trump’s vice presidential pick, Ohio Sen. JD Vance (R), lags behind all of them, with less than a third of the electorate viewing him favorably, and 12 percent of Maine voters saying they don’t know enough about him to say.

Harris has yet to select her running mate, but two Democrats lead the pack in Maine — 21 percent of voters think Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is the best pick for Harris, while 17 percent prefer former astronaut, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). Other top vice presidential contenders poll in the single digits, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper.

The Maine poll was conducted between Tuesday and Thursday with 1,502 eligible voters. The margin of error is 2.5 percent.