Opinion: David Marcus Says Nobody in Blue Maine Believes Susan Collins Will Lose Until They See It
After talking to voters in Bangor, the Fox columnist argues Collins' three decades of personal ties outweigh polls that give Democrat Troy Jackson a slight lead. It is one writer's read from the street.
Columnist David Marcus went to Bangor, Maine, to see whether voters think Republican Sen. Susan Collins is in trouble. His Fox News column says the answer from the street is no, even though the polls say it could be close.
The pitch. Marcus writes that polls give Democrat Troy Jackson "a slight lead," yet "the word on the street has him dead in the water." The state is small, Collins has served three decades, and "almost everyone I've met here has met her."
The voters. A lifelong Mainer in his 70s told him it "would be stupid" not to vote for Collins, noting her appropriations chairmanship and "new fire stations in every little town." Two firefighters called her "an institution in Maine." One said, "I'll believe she loses when I see it." A woman at an antiques shop said of Jackson, "Somebody had to run." Marcus says people call her "Susan," a familiarity he has rarely seen covering a race.
The other side. Marcus grants that Jackson has a chance, noting that even Tom Brady lost twice to Eli Manning in the Super Bowl. One voter said immigration enforcement is his top issue and that Portland police "should be able to handle things without having immigration backing them up." Another joked that America should "start rioting more," then corrected himself to "protest."
Trump barely comes up. Marcus says he rarely heard Trump's name, and that most voters see Collins as independent of the president. He also ran into former Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat turned centrist, who was on his way to campaign for her. Marcus argues Republicans will overlook her centrism because she gives them a shot in a blue state.
His bottom line: "Polls or no polls, a Collins loss would be an absolute shocker in Maine."
Note for readers: this is a columnist's impressions from a handful of conversations, not a poll. Marcus's own column says polls give Jackson a slight lead, and the piece does not include a response from the Jackson campaign.