Maine still looks very difficult for Democrats, while Udall makes us wait

• Collins strong in Maine
  

Last week, a Research 2000 poll of the Maine Senate race showed Collins with a massive lead against her challenger Tom Allen. Today, a new polling institute, Critical Insights, confirms that Democrats have a very long way to go before making the race competitive. Collins leads 54% to Allen's 34%. Such a big lead is sometimes alleviated when the incumbent is under 50%, but Collins is not even that vulnerable in this poll... Democrats will have to move fast to make Collins's Republican brand a bigger issue in the campaign to tie her to the GOP's impopularity and weaken her numbers.

• New Mexico waits for Udall
  

We will have to wait two more months to get the final word on the field of the New Mexico Senate race, as Tom Udall has announced that... he will announce his decision in two weeks. Speaking at the State Central Committee today, Udall made it clear that he was very interested, and the audience was trying to encourage him to run. Given the intensity of the Draft Udall movement, it would be rather surprising if Udall did not get in at this point.

Udall's decision is the last expected in New Mexico after a month of quick shuffling. The Republican got set weeks ago as a showdown between Wilson and Pearce, and Udall is the last Democrat to not have made his intentions clear after Lieutenant Governor Denish announced earlier in the week that she would not run in 2008.