Dems Lead in Michigan, NH, but Lag in Maine

Democrats are holding the line in two key Senate races—but not the one they'd counted on most. New New York Times/Siena polls show Democratic candidates up by 5 points in both Michigan and New Hampshire, while Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins maintains a 3-point lead over the Democrats' latecomer nominee, Troy Jackson. A look, via the Times:

• In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed has unified Democrats after a bruising primary and is drawing some Trump voters away from GOP Rep. Mike Rogers, helped by strong support for his economic pitch and single-payer health care. He leads by five points in the poll.

• In New Hampshire, Chris Pappas holds a similar five-point edge over former Sen. John E. Sununu, boosted by independents who favor him by 10 points.
• Maine is the outlier: Collins' personal brand and reputation for delivering federal money appear to be blunting Democratic hopes despite a broader voter preference for a Democratic-controlled Senate. The poll puts the difficult-to-oust moderate up by three points.

The Maine poll represents what the Times calls Jackson's "worst result" since replacing Graham Platner on the Democratic ballot in July, though it was conducted before a ProPublica report on an FBI inquiry involving a Collins ally. The surveys also show GOP Senate candidates generally outperforming President Trump's low approval ratings—suggesting that some Republicans may escape the drag of an unpopular president even as most voters say they want his power checked. The full poll results are here.