The campaign for U.S. Rep. Mike Michaud released internal polling data Friday that shows the Democratic incumbent maintaining a 22 percentage point lead in the race for Maine’s 2nd Congressional District.

That’s in contrast to an internal poll released Thursday by the campaign of his challenger, Republican Kevin Raye, whose survey showed the two closer than one percentage point.

The dueling data highlight how both campaigns are seeking momentum in the final days before voters decide.

Michaud’s poll, which was commissioned by his campaign and conducted on Oct. 23 and 24 by Normington Petts — a polling and campaign strategy company — shows Michaud leading Raye 55 percent to 33 percent. The poll surveyed 400 likely voters and has a margin of error of 4.9 percentage points.

The news came a day after Raye’s campaign released its own survey data, which was conducted in part by a company owned by Raye’s campaign consultant Kathie Summers-Grice. It showed Raye with 44.3 percent and Michaud with 43.6 percent, with a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

Michaud spokesman Dan Cashman said the campaign didn’t intend to release its data when they commissioned the poll last week, but was prompted to when Raye released his survey.

“When we see a poll with such a stark contrast to everything else that is out there, we felt it was necessary to release our most recent information,” he said.

The most recent non-affiliated poll was released Oct. 11, showing Michaud with 52 percent and Raye with 32 percent and a margin of error of 6.9 percentage points. The poll was conducted by Pan-Atlantic SMS Group, a Maine-based marketing research and consulting firm.

Other independent polls conducted in September showed Michaud in the lead by 15 to 25 points.


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