Poll: Senate race holds steady

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins: Getty Images Photo A Rasmussen poll released Friday shows U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Bangor) maintaining her lead over U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D-Portland) with little change over the last month in voter sentiment about the U.S. Senate race.

Rasmussen's poll showed Collins holding a steady advantage — 49 percent to 42 percent — over her Democratic challenger.

With so-called "leaners" — undecided voters with an inclination toward one candidate or the other — taken into consideration, Collin's lead expands to 53 percent to 43 percent, Rasmussen reports.

Collins' support had slipped in the two previous Rasmussen polls, in June slipping below 50 percent for the first time this election cycle. She enjoyed 54 percent support in April.

Collins also maintains a significant financial advantage over her opponent, fundraising figures released earlier this week revealed.

Rasmussen, however, noted that Collins' slip beneath 50 percent in support still suggested she might be vulnerable to an upset. The firm also released a poll on the presidential race in Maine, showing presumptive Democratic nominee U.S. Sen. Barack Obama with a 10-percent lead over his Republican opponent, U.S. Sen. John McCain.