NYT/Siena Poll Tests Sensitive Questions in Maine Race as 80% Know Platner Controversies
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 29
NYT/Siena Poll Tests Sensitive Questions in Maine Race as 80% Know Platner Controversies
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 29
Summary
Nearly 80% of Maine voters said they had heard “a lot” about Democratic nominee Graham Platner’s controversies, a key finding shaping the first New York Times/Siena Senate poll of 2026.
The poll team said it designed special wording for sensitive topics to measure opinions without introducing new information, biasing answers or prompting respondents to hang up.
Those topics included allegations about Platner’s past treatment of women, a tattoo resembling a Nazi symbol that he later covered, and years-old social media posts many voters found offensive.
The question-design effort follows separate NYT/Siena methodological changes on weighting, aimed at improving overall poll accuracy after underestimating Donald Trump’s support in past elections.