There’s also a possible explanation that Democrats hope holds true through November: Even though inflation is a top concern, a plurality of Maine voters do not blame the party in power in Augusta. There are a range of possible explanations for the dichotomy of those survey results some respondents might not associate the “right direction” question with who controls state government some might not even know who controls state government some might know who controls it, but realize state leaders can do little to alleviate high gas prices and inflation. Republicans certainly hope so, which is why the Maine GOP is trying to frame Democrats as exacerbating inflation, citing obscure bills, including one that originally increased product fees on pet food manufacturers (Democrats amended the original version even though the costs passed on to consumers likely would have been in the pennies, probably less), and tax increases that either never gained traction in the Legislature, or weren’t even proposed. But despite those worries, a plurality of voters - 46.5% to 38.6% - said the state is on the right track (15% were undecided).Īt a glance, the “right track” results might seem at odds with the responses to the “most important issues” question, especially if one is inclined to believe that the party in power will be punished for the high prices of gas, electricity and groceries. Not surprisingly, cost of living and inflation overwhelmingly led the responses. Perhaps more interesting than the horse race result are respondents’ answers to whether Maine is on the right track, and a separate query about the top issue facing the state. The survey aligns with previous polls showing Mills and LePage in a statistical dead heat. Paul LePage by 4%, barely outside the survey’s 3.4% margin of error. According to the poll of 824 likely voters, Democratic Gov. The gubernatorial race is the marquee of the State House contests.