Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee

A poll commissioned by the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee shows U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Bangor) leading her challenger and U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D-Portland) 49 to 41 percent.

The poll also looked at the presidential race in Maine, where Democrat Barack Obama led Republican John McCain 52 to 35 percent.

The poll was commissioned by the Mellman Group, and surveyed 600 likely voters. It has a four percent margin of error.

Both the Allen campaign and the DSCC saw the poll as good news, as other recent polls have shown Collins with a double-digit advantage.

“Tom Allen has run a smart, disciplined campaign and with a month to go until the election continues to pick up momentum,” said DSCC spokesman Matthew Miller in a release. “Susan Collins talks like a moderate, but she always votes with George Bush, and Mainers are ready for a change.”

According to a new poll taken for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Senator Collins lead in the polls has shrunk and Allen now trails only 49% to 41%,with 10 percent undecided. Collins' poll numbers have consistently shown her with a double digit lead as have polls from third party sources.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has spent $170,000 in independent expenditures against U.S. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Bangor), but this sum is small compared to some other states, The Hill reported Tuesday. U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D-Portland) is running against Collins.

The DSCC has spent $3.7 million in Oregon, and $2 million in New Hampshire and North Carolina combined.

In comparison, the National Republican Senatorial Committee has not made any independent expenditures in Maine. Overall they have spent significantly less on Senate races, spending a total of $4.9 million, compared to the DSCC’s $13 million.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has released an ad hitting Sen. Susan Collins (R-Bangor) for supporting the Iraq War.

Collins is being challenged by U.S. Rep. Tom Allen (D-Portland).

“Susan Collins voted to give George Bush a blank check for Iraq, billions to rebuild their country, while we should be rebuilding ours,” the narrator in the ad said.

This weekend, the Collins campaign responded, citing legislation Collins has sponsored with U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) that requires Iraqis to take responsibility for reconstruction costs.

Campaign spokesman Kevin Kelley said: "…Tom Allen and his partisan, out-of-state allies, are desperately trying to distort Senator Collins' record and mislead Maine voters. The problem is, their attack is not only wrong, it blatantly ignores Senator Collins' bipartisan efforts in the Senate to address the very issues they complain about."