Donald Trump takes a shock lead in a state the GOP hasn’t won in 36 years

Donald Trump leads Joe Biden by one percent according to a new poll conducted in Maine, a state that has voted Democratic since 1988.

The Critical Insights poll found that Trump would win the state with 41 percent, compared to Biden’s 40 percent.

But Maine uses ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, rather than voting for just one candidate.

Taking this system into account, Biden leads with 52 percent, ahead of Trump with 49 percent.

The researchers’ findings were based on a sample of 609 participants, with a sampling error of approximately four percentage points, at a 95 percent confidence level.

The study also found that financial and economic concerns continue to be the top issues facing Maine voters. These include affordable housing and cost of living. Democrats are particularly concerned about environmental issues and guns, while Republicans are particularly concerned about immigration issues.

Some 42 percent of Maine voters view immigration as “very important,” while 14 percent view it as “somewhat important.” About half of Maine respondents believe the number of immigrants who legally obtain U.S. residency each year is too high.

The majority of Maine voters (70%) believe they were affected by the severe storms that hit the state in the six months before they were asked. But not everyone thinks it has anything to do with climate change, although most do (nearly eight in ten).

There were clear party divisions when it came to gun laws, with about 69 percent of Democrats surveyed wanting stricter gun laws and 54 percent of Republicans wanting them to remain. as is.

Critical Insights researchers said: “The poll suggests a close presidential race coming this fall. In the absence of ranked-choice voting, one might expect Trump to win Maine by a single percentage point. candidate votes go to Biden. »

Trump is leading in some national polls, according to several sources, including the polling site FiveThirtyEight.

The recent June 13 update puts Trump ahead by 41.0 percent, just ahead of Biden with 40.1 percent.

Research and data have consistently shown that immigration and the economy are voters’ top concerns.

In two weeks the first presidential debate will take place, followed by the Republican National Convention on July 15, the Democratic National Convention on August 19, the second presidential debate on September 10 and finally Election Day on November 5.