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Maine
Electoral Votes: 4 (no change since 2000)
2000 Results: Gore 49%, Bush 44%, Nader 6%
Recent Polls
SurveyUSA: Kerry 52%, Bush 44%
(Oct. 28-30; margin of error +/-3.2%)
Zogby International: Kerry 50%, Bush 39%, Nader 1%
(Oct. 21-22; margin of error ± 5.0%)
Population: White 96.5%, Hispanic 0.7%, Asian 0.7%
Urban Population: 40.2%
Rural: 59.8%
Median Income: $37,240
Unemployment: 4.5%, as of August
Forecast: Probably another New England win for Kerry, but Maine voters are fiercely unpredictable.
Maine voters do what they want to. In 1992, Bill Clinton narrowly won the state. Ross Perot came in a close second. Gore won by five points in 2000. In recent years Maine voters rejected homosexual-rights initiatives but endorsed medical marijuana. It's the most rural battleground state—the northwestern third of the state is largely empty. The state did well economically in the '90s, but the population barely grew. The urban, southwestern corner of the state leans Democratic. Bangor and the rural areas supported Bush in 2000. Even if Bush loses the state, he could win one electoral vote. Maine divides two of its four votes by congressional district and Bush lost the 2nd, upstate district by just 1% last election.
Counties to Watch: Hancock, Waldo, Aroostook
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