PORTLAND, Maine — The candidates who are vying to represent Maine’s 2nd Congressional District will appear together for the first time at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in a debate hosted by the Bangor Daily News and CBS 13 at the television station’s Portland studio.
Democratic candidate Emily Cain, a state senator from Orono, and former state treasurer Bruce Poliquin, a Republican, are locked in a race that is much closer than many predicted. A recent poll, conducted by the Pan Atlantic SMS Group, shows Cain with a slight lead over Poliquin with 36.2 percent of the vote to 32.7 percent. A poll released later Tuesday by Critical Insights showed Poliquin slightly ahead with 41 percent of the vote compared with Cain’s 36 percent.
Patrick Murphy, president of the Pan Atlantic SMS Group, said the 201 people in the district were questioned for the poll. The margin of error is 6.9 percent.
The Critical Insights survey reflected responses from 295 people, a small sample size.
An independent candidate, Blaine Richardson, also will participate in the debate. The former Navy captain falls to the right of Poliquin and, so far, is not well known by voters. The poll shows him with 6.3 percent of the vote.
According to the Pan Atlantic SMS Group poll, which was conducted between Sept. 23 and Sept. 29, a quarter of voters are still undecided.
The seat has been vacated by Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud, who is running for governor. Michaud and his predecessors, former Gov. John Baldacci, a Democrat, and former Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Republican, were less partisan than this year’s candidates, who have each called the other extreme.
The 2nd Congressional District is far more rural than its southern counterpart. Covering 80 percent of the state’s land area, it is the largest geographical district east of the Mississippi River and one of the most rural in the country, according to the Sunlight Foundation.
Special interest groups and both candidates’ political parties have come out in full force for this election. Cain’s campaign has received support from EMILY’s list, a group that supports Democratic candidates who are pro-choice, and the League of Conservation voters, an environmental group, while Poliquin has been endorsed by the National Rifle Association.
The debate will be live streamed at bangordailynews.com.
