Fox News poll shows Susan Collins leading Graham Platner by 3 points in Maine Senate race

Republican Sen. Susan Collins is narrowly ahead of Democratic challenger Graham Platner in Maine’s U.S. Senate race, according to a new Fox News poll released Tuesday. The survey shows Collins at 50 percent support, compared with Platner’s 47 percent among Maine registered voters, a margin that falls within typical survey error.

The poll also found that the race is more competitive among the subset of voters who say they are most motivated to vote. Among voters who described themselves as “extremely” motivated to cast a ballot, Platner led Collins by 9 points, 53 percent to 44 percent, according to Fox News coverage of the survey.

Both candidates faced unfavorable perceptions in the polling. More than half of Maine voters said Platner lacks the judgment to serve as a U.S. senator, while a similar share said Collins has been in office for too long. Fox News said concerns were also stronger for Platner among voters who reported being “extremely worried,” though the survey largely framed the issue as a candidate-specific judgment and tenure question.

The new polling arrived amid ongoing scrutiny of Platner’s past statements and conduct. The Hill reported that Platner’s campaign has been the subject of scrutiny after older social media posts, questions about a controversial tattoo, and allegations of “toxic” behavior emerged. The Hill also said Platner apologized for and removed past Reddit posts about Black people and sexual assault, and he denied allegations of physical intimidation or altercations with former romantic partners.

Fox News also reported that voter preferences in the survey differed across demographic and political lines. It said Platner was preferred by most female voters, those with a college degree, and suburban and moderate voters, while Collins performed better with male voters, voters without a college degree, gun-owning households, and rural voters.

A local report that referenced the Fox News poll said the survey was conducted from June 23 through June 27 with more than 1,000 registered voters taking part. That same reporting described the survey as showing Collins leading overall but with a motivation-driven advantage for Platner among the most engaged voters.

The Fox News poll is one of several snapshots of a competitive Maine Senate contest. With the race still early enough for voter sentiment to shift, the survey highlights how both candidate-specific concerns and differences in enthusiasm may affect which voters are most likely to turn out.