Independent leads Republican, Democrat in race to replace Snowe
(CNN) - Former Gov. Angus King leads his rivals in the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine, according to a poll released on Wednesday.
The Portland Press Herald poll puts King at 55%, with Republican Secretary of State Charlie Summers at 27% and Democratic state Sen. Cynthia Dill at 7%.
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King's numbers are bolstered by significant support from un-enrolled voters (68%) who register no party preference and registered Democrats, 67% of whom support him. Only 17% of Democrats support their party's candidate, the poll showed.
Snowe shocked the political world when she announced that she would not seek a fourth term in the Senate because of "debilitating partisanship, polarization and the overall dysfunction" of the Senate.
"It's become an all or nothing proposition and that failure has eroded the public's confidence about the direction of this country and about governing institutions to be at the front lines of solving these problems," the moderate Republican told CNN in February shortly after her announcement.
She had won reelection in 2006 with 74% of the vote.
King was elected to his first of two terms as governor in 1994 after anchoring a weekly news program on Maine public television for 18 years.
Summers formerly served as Snowe's state director, as well as a state senator and in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Commander in the Navy Reserve.
Dill is a lawyer and has served in the state senate since winning a special election in 2011.
President Barack Obama leads presumptive Republican candidate Mitt Romney 49% to 35%, the poll shows. Obama won the state over Sen. John McCain by 18 percentage points in the 2008 election, and Maine is listed as safely on Obama's side this year on the CNN Electoral Map.
A referendum on allowing same-sex marriage is also on the November ballot.
- CNN's Ted Barrett, Dana Bash, and Gregory Wallace contributed to this report
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As a registered Republican, I am backing Angus! Give them hell, Angus!
the people of maine would never put an anus in the senate....
Better than a republican bafoon party clown !!!
Send more independents to DC , we are tired of two party system
Go Indie!!!
Former Gov. Angus King stated on March 9, 2012, that he believed Obama should be re-elected, stating that he made his decision after "seeing the likely alternatives"
Go King!
>Severely Moderate Former Gov. Angus King stated on March 9, 2012, that he believed Obama should be re->elected, stating that he made his decision after "seeing the likely alternatives"
sure doesn't sound like an independent. looks like another obama droid that wants to move the country left over the cliff.
I just hope he's not a Teabagger in disguise.
>Severely Moderate Former Gov. Angus King stated on March 9, 2012, that he believed Obama should be re->elected, stating that he made his decision after "seeing the likely alternatives"
sure doesn't sound like an independent. looks like another obama droid that wants to move the country left over the cliff."
====
Yeah, and do you say the same thing about one of the most famous and respected conservative judges in the country, Richard Posner, who was appointed by Reagan to the 7th Circuit, teaches at the Univ. of Chicago Law School, attended Yale and then graduated first in the class at Harvard Law School and ran the Harvard Law Review (as did Obama haha), clerked for Supreme Court JUstice Brennan and has written over 40 books on various legal topics in the law over his illustrious and very conservative legal career, but who recently said quite bluntly that the current GOP has made him less conservative because they have become so over the top "goofy"? Would you like to disagree with him and tell us why we should believe you over him?
>Severely Moderate Former Gov. Angus King stated on March 9, 2012, that he believed Obama should be re->elected, stating that he made his decision after "seeing the likely alternatives"
sure doesn't sound like an independent. looks like another obama droid that wants to move the country left over the cliff."
====
Yeah, and do you say the same thing about one of the most famous and respected conservative judges in the country, Richard Posner, who was appointed by Reagan to the 7th Circuit, teaches at the Univ. of Chicago Law School, attended Yale and then graduated first in the class at Harvard Law School and ran the Harvard Law Review (as did Obama haha), clerked for Supreme Court JUstice Brennan and has written over 40 books on various legal topics in the law over his illustrious and very conservative legal career, but who recently said quite bluntly that the current GOP has made him less conservative because they have become so over the top "goofy"? Would you like to disagree with him and tell us why we should believe you over him? Indeed...please tell us all how that makes Judge Richard Posner an "Obama droid." We could use the laugh.
I'm voting for Angus, his a progressive ideas brought a lot of good to Maine during his time as Governor and is the only sane option.
>LaPlut – I'm voting for Angus, his a progressive ideas brought a lot of good to Maine during his time as
>Governor and is the only sane option.
sounds like this guy is a progressive democrat so why doesn't he run as one? is he afraid of being honest with people? he's an obama supporter so that pretty much locks him in to more obama madness if he gets elected. i thought the people of main ehad more common sense than to vote for a far left liberal. has the state been taken over by a bunch of massachusetts liberals that have retired there?
Maybe that's what's needed – INDIES – keep 'em guessing which way you would go and then go the right way to get things done!!
Obama 2012 – The Only Trusted Way Forward!!
It's not about Party affiliation. If this guy is fair, honest and actually cares about the working people of Maine you folks should vote for him! We've all had enough of the "party" crap and another independent in the Senate would send them all a message.
Thank God me need more independents!!!