A recent Newsweek report discussed the Senate race in Maine, highlighting a challenge to incumbent Republican Senator Susan Collins from Democrat Dan Kleban. The report featured an internal poll conducted by Public Policy Polling and Normington Petts, which indicated Kleban leading Collins by nine points (44 percent to 35 percent) on an initial ballot and eight points on an informed ballot (46 percent to 38 percent). This poll surveyed 642 Maine voters from September 8 to September 9, 2025. A significant portion of respondents, 21 percent on the initial ballot and 16 percent on the informed ballot, remained undecided. The internal poll also suggested that 43 percent of Maine residents viewed President Donald Trump positively in his second term, with 53 percent disapproving. The article noted that internal polls are generally considered less reliable than independent polls and are often selectively released. One commentator highlighted that this specific internal poll did not publish crosstabs, did not include the Democratic primary, and did not ask about other candidates in the race. Other polling data presented conflicting results regarding Senator Collins' favorability. A University of New Hampshire poll from June found 14 percent of Maine voters viewed Collins favorably and 57 percent unfavorably, based on a survey of 846 Mainers from June 19-23 with a margin of error of +/- 3.4 percentage points. A Morning Consult poll cited her approval at 38 percent and disapproval at 54 percent. Conversely, a Pan Atlantic Research poll showed Collins' favorability at 49 percent and unfavorability at 45 percent, based on a survey of 840 likely voters from May 12-26, 2025, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points. The Cook Political Report and Sabato's Crystal Ball both classify the Maine Senate race as "Lean Republican," indicating that Collins holds an advantage despite it being considered competitive. Historically, Maine has not supported a Republican presidential candidate since 1988, though it has elected moderate Republicans like Collins, who won re-election in 2020 with nearly 51 percent of the vote despite not leading any polls that year. Other challengers in the current race include Graham Platner and Jordan Wood, with Governor Janet Mills also noted as a potential candidate.