The recent Quinnipiac College poll says that of likely Sara Gideon voters, 69 percent are voting against Susan Collins rather than for Gideon. This shows that Mainers are wide open to other candidates for U.S. Senate, but you wouldn’t know who else was on the ballot from that poll or the recent Colby College poll.

Polls should reflect public opinion, but when they present only well-financed major-party candidates, their bias steers public opinion. When those poll results are uncritically reported by news media, that effect is magnified. Thank you to the Press Herald’s Eric Russell for pointing out in his Aug. 7 article that neither the Colby nor the Quinnipiac poll names Green Independent candidate Lisa Savage or conservative independent candidate Max Linn in their questions.

Mainers want a choice between a diversity of candidates. We voted independent Angus King into office. We voted for ranked-choice voting, allowing us to pick our preferred candidate knowing that our second choice will receive our vote if our first choice fails to make the cut. I want the best candidate for the job, not the best-financed. In this race, I consider schoolteacher Lisa Savage to be the best candidate, and look forward to hearing her speak in the upcoming debate.

Kudos to the Portland Press Herald, Bangor Daily News and News Center Maine for providing that choice by including all four candidates in the upcoming Sept. 11 debate for U.S. senator from Maine!

Justin Nichols

Portland

Copy the Story Link