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A solid majority of Maine voters said they disapproved of President Donald Trump’s performance on affordability in a new New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll, a signal that a key tenet of his third presidential campaign has turned into a potential drag for Republicans in November.

Only about 16% of polled likely voters feel “excellent” or “good” about Maine’s economic conditions. About half said they felt “only fair,” and one-third said they felt poorly.

The economy is the top issue Mainers said will inform how they vote in key congressional races, the poll found. Cost of living was another top issue for a sizable portion of voters, especially those under age 45.

The share of Maine voters who said they disapproved of Trump’s handling of the economy (62%), cost of living (67%) and gas prices (68%) reflect nationwide trends. About 64% of Americans in another recent New York Times/Siena poll disapproved of Trump’s performance on the economy and 69% disapproved of how he is handling the cost of living. 

Colin Blais, a 27-year-old from Kennebunk, said he has seen first-hand that wages have not kept up with rising prices. 

“My father’s first job, he told me that he got paid nothing,” Blais, a Democrat, said. “He had a four-year bachelor’s degree, and he made $23,000 or whatever it was, for his first year. If you adjust for inflation, he made almost 20 grand more than I currently do, and I have a master’s degree. That’s the reality we’re in.”

Blais said he has seen many friends struggle to find affordable housing and well-paying jobs, and that he’s been frustrated with Trump’s tariffs and the war in Iran, which have increased costs for young Mainers.

“It’s a billionaires’ club — that’s what our country’s turned into,” he said.

The president’s overall approval rating in Maine is 38%, the Times/Press Herald/Siena poll of likely voters found. Maine Democrats nearly unanimously said they were opposed to Trump, and about two-thirds of independent voters said they disapproved of his performance.

But even some Maine Republicans, who widely approved of Trump, said they disapprove of the president on affordability measures.

About a quarter of Maine Republican voters disapproved of Trump’s performance on cost of living and gas prices. On other measures, including the war in Iran and the economy at large, Trump maintained strong support from GOP-identifying voters.

About one-fifth of the voters who said they planned to support Republican incumbent Sen. Susan Collins in November said they disapproved of Trump’s performance. That number steps up to one-third of voters specifically on cost of living and gas prices.

Jordan Spaulding, a 25-year-old Republican from Somerset County, said his support for Trump is a mixed bag; on the one hand, he said he’s frustrated by the gas price impacts of the Iran war and on the other, he’s relieved by the tax cuts Trump signed into law last year. He said his tax refund increased by $1,000 this year.

“I don’t like the whole Iran situation, but I understand the need for it,” Spaulding said. “Just, I don’t like how people get hurt here from it, in the gas prices.”

Spaulding said he has also seen housing prices go up — he just bought his first home — but he doesn’t blame Trump. There just aren’t enough construction workers and materials to go around, Spaulding said. 

The president canceled a scheduled signing event for a major housing bill last week, saying he wouldn’t sign the legislation into law until Congress passes his favored elections legislation. The president has until July 4 to either sign or veto the bill or it becomes law without his signature.

Trump has not won the majority of Maine votes in his three presidential campaigns, but has carried the rural 2nd Congressional District’s electoral vote each time, despite Democratic Rep. Jared Golden winning re-election in that district in 2020 and 2024.

The New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll of Maine voters was funded with support from the Maine Trust for Local News.