Collins up eight in Democratic poll

Sen. Susan Collins (R) leads her Democratic challenger, Rep. Tom Allen, 49-41, according to a new poll taken for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC).

{mosads}Other polls in recent weeks have shown Collins with a more comfortable lead. A Sept. 23 SurveyUSA poll had Collins with a 16-point lead, and a Sept. 17 Rasmussen poll showed her up by 13.

The race began as a top target for Democrats, but Allen has yet to close the gap completely.

Carol Andrews, a spokeswoman for Allen’s campaign, said, “The movement reflected in this poll is in line with what we have been seeing in our internals. … We feel very confident about where we are, and that is on-target to win [on] Nov. 4.”

Kevin Kelley, a spokesman for the Collins campaign, said, “This poll, just like every other public poll that has ever been released in this race, shows Sen. Collins with a solid lead — with just one month to go.”

The DSCC poll of 600 likely voters was taken Sept. 30-Oct. 2 and has a 4 percent margin of error.