Maine’s high-profile politicians saw approval ratings decline this spring, according to a new survey.
The drop in popularity came even as more Mainers believed the country is moving in the right direction and indicated a historic level of optimism about the economy, according to a survey conducted in March and April and released Wednesday by Digital Research Inc., a Portland-based polling firm.
The poll is based on a survey of 789 registered Maine voters contacted online or by phone, and results were weighted based on demographics. The margin of error is 3.9 percent.
Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat, saw her approval rating drop from 62 percent last fall to 57 percent this spring, the survey found. But that is still above her pre-pandemic approval rating of 47 percent and left her as the most popular political figure in Maine.
Sen. Susan Collins, who won reelection last fall after a bruising campaign, saw her approval rating drop further, from 42 percent to 31 percent, the survey found, while 50 percent disapproved. Notably, Collins’ approval rating dropped sharply among fellow Republicans from 68 percent last fall to 43 percent while improving slightly among Democrats.
