Support for Question 1, the Maine
referendum on legalizing gay marriage, holds a 21-point lead,
according to a survey released Sunday.
The poll was commissioned by Maine
Today Media and conducted by Critical Insights. Pollsters
interviewed 618 likely voters statewide between September 12 and 16.
Fifty-seven percent of respondents said
they support legalizing gay nuptials, while 36 percent said they were
opposed. Seven percent said they were not sure.
Heading into the final weeks of the
campaign, at least one poll gave Question 1 a much narrower lead.
The Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey
released earlier this month gave supporters a meager 8-point lead,
with 52 percent of respondents saying they plan on voting yes on
Question 1, and 44 percent saying they would reject the proposal.
PPP's Tom Jensen labeled the race “a toss up” due to the fact
that “undecided usually means no.”
According to Sunday's poll, a large
majority of Democrats (81%) support making Maine the first state to
legalize marriage equality at the ballot box, while 64 percent of
Republicans remain opposed.
“I'm pretty confident that gay people
can have strong marriages and are strong citizens,” said
Eric Moynihan, a 58-year-old independent voter from Yarmouth.