State Sen. Joe Baldacci topped a trio of Democratic rivals in a new poll in Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.
The three-term senator, lawyer and former Bangor city councilor has been backed by U.S. House Democrats’ campaign arm as the party hopes to hold a seat in a district won by President Donald Trump three times and by outgoing Democratic U.S. Rep. Jared Golden in the last four cycles.
Baldacci faces State Auditor Matt Dunlap of Old Town, former political operative Jordan Wood of Auburn and political newcomer Paige Loud, a social worker from Old Town. In Wednesday’s poll from Portland-based Pan Atlantic Research, Baldacci picked up 39% support, a 20-plus-point margin over Dunlap’s 17% and Wood’s 15%.
Nearly a third of voters said they still remain undecided in a primary that began relatively late after Golden dropped out of the race in November.
Earlier this month, Baldacci was added to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s “Red to Blue” program, which gives a fundraising and organizational boost to candidates in priority districts.
Democrats nationwide aim to flip the U.S. House and perhaps the Senate in a tough environment for Republicans amid Trump’s low approval ratings on job performance and the economy. But Republicans are banking on former Gov. Paul LePage, a Republican who is unopposed in his primary, to reclaim the longtime battleground district for his party.
Dunlap is the only one in the field to have announced his run prior to Golden’s exit from the race. At that time, national Democrats warned Dunlap against challenging Golden. They later signaled that they were actively recruiting a challenger, a search that slowed when Baldacci jumped into the race in January.
The poll came the same day Baldacci came under fire from Dunlap, Loud and Wood calling on him to publicly disavow Project 218, an outside group that recently reserved more than $240,000 in advertising for Baldacci.
The spending marks an outsized boost late in the race, with Dunlap, Wood and Loud all having less than $70,000 booked in ads between Wednesday and the primary.
