Kamala Harris ahead in district Donald Trump won by 7 points: New poll

Vice President Kamala Harris is leading Donald Trump in the latest poll of Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which backed the former president by more than 7 percentage points in 2020.

Harris quickly improved her standing in polls when she took over the top of the Democratic ticket following President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the race in July. But she still faces a close race against Trump in key battleground states.

Maine, holder of four electoral votes, is traditionally viewed as Democratic-leaning but gives Republicans an opportunity to pick up one Electoral College vote, as it is one of two states to divide its votes in presidential elections.

Harris is favored to win Maine’s two statewide votes, as well as its 1st Congressional District, which includes more Democratic-leaning areas in the southern part of the state such as Portland, as well as more tourism-heavy beach towns.

Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, however, is viewed as more Republican. It contains the vast, rural areas in the northern part of the state, though it does have some cities like Augusta, Bangor and Lewiston that keep it competitive down ballot.

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) on Wednesday released a new poll of Maine, surveying 999 registered voters in the Pine Tree State from August 15 to August 19. The poll found that Harris holds a 5-point lead in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District over Trump (49 percent to 44 percent).

Statewide, Harris held a 17-point lead over Trump (55 percent to 38 percent), with other candidates receiving 4 percent of the vote. An additional 2 percent of voters said they were still undecided.

Harris held a 29-point lead in the 1st Congressional District (62 percent to 33 percent).

Newsweek reached out to the Harris and Trump campaigns for comment via email on Wednesday.

An earlier UNH poll found Harris leading statewide by 8 points (48 percent to 40 percent), while Trump led the 2nd Congressional District by 4 points (44 percent to 40 percent). That poll was conducted among 1,502 registered voters, from July 23 to July 25.

In 2020, Biden won Maine by about 9 percentage points (53 percent to 44 percent), while Trump carried the 2nd District by a 7-point margin (53 percent to 46 percent).

The state was closer in 2016, when former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton won by only 2.9 percentage points while Trump won the 2nd District by about 10 points.

The Cook Political Report classifies Maine as “Likely Democrat” and the 2nd Congressional District as “Likely Republican.” This means the races are “not considered competitive at this point but have the potential to become engaged.”