Democratic Senate candidate and Maine House Speaker Sara Gideon leads incumbent Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, by five points in a poll released Tuesday by Colby College. The survey shows Gideon at 44% and Collins at 39%.

Trump’s poor approval ratings in Maine could be hurting Collins’ chances for another term. The Colby survey shows 39% of respondents view Trump favorably, with 59% viewing him unfavorably.

“The number one factor that we find in our poll that predicts support for Collins or Gideon are attitudes about Trump,” Dan Shea, a professor of government at Colby said. “That’s the anvil strapped around Sen. Collins’ back. As his numbers have declined, so have hers.”

Collins, who voted against articles of impeachment on Trump, has served in the Senate since 1997, and is considered a moderate in a state that has picked Democrats in presidential elections since 1992. She has pro-LGBT stances and is pro-choice on the issue of abortion. Collins’ moderate appeal has allowed her to pick up voters from Maine’s liberal coast, along with the more conservative interior of the state.

Yet, Collins’ decisions during the Trump era have damaged her balancing act. Collins’ vote in favor of Trump Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh in 2018 drew scorn from liberals. At the same time, Collins might be seen by more conservative voters as not being loyal enough to Trump.

Gideon, 48, has served as Maine’s House Speaker since 2016. During her Senate campaign, she has claimed that Collins has put “special interests ahead of Mainers.” Gideon supports expanded health insurance through a public option and has pledged to roll back tax cuts under Trump.

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