PORTLAND (AP) – Three out of every five Mainers would vote to uphold the state’s new gay rights law in a November referendum that seeks to overturn it, according to a statewide survey released Thursday.

The Strategic Marketing Services poll found that 61 percent of those surveyed would vote to uphold the law or are leaning toward keeping it. About 28 percent said they would vote to reject the law or are leaning that way, with 11 percent undecided.

The survey is a snapshot of likely voters’ opinions and doesn’t purport to predict the election’s outcome, said Patrick Murphy, president of Strategic Marketing Services. The results are likely to change depending on the success of each side’s arguments, media coverage, voter scrutiny and other factors.

“This election will come down to which of the campaigns is most successful at getting out its core supporters,” he said.

The Strategic Marketing Services omnibus poll touched on a broad range of issues, including the economy, technology, legislative term limits, Gov. John Baldacci’s performance, the state’s Dirigo Health Program, an Indian racino and the Boston Red Sox.

The quarterly poll, which has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points, was based on telephone interviews with 400 randomly selected adults from July 23 to July 30.

The gay rights issue was the only survey question pertaining to November’s election.

A conservative alliance led by the Christian Civic League of Maine ran a successful petition drive to get a question on the ballot asking voters if they want to reject gay rights legislation that was signed into law in March. The law extends the Maine Human Rights Act to make discrimination based on sexual orientation illegal in employment, housing, credit, public accommodations and education.

Tim Russell, spokesman for the Christian Civic League, said surveys are often unreliable. Polls leading up to a 2000 referendum were wrong suggesting that voters would ratify the Legislature’s approval of a gay rights bill, he said.

Jesse Connolly, campaign manager for Maine Won’t Discriminate, said the survey is all well and good, but that organizing a statewide campaign to keep the law in place is more important than poll numbers. Maine Won’t Discriminate says the issue is about civil rights protections – not gay marriage.

“Maine Won’t Discriminate’s only concern is the poll that takes place on Election Day,” Connolly said.

On other issues, 21.5 percent of those polled said the economy is headed in the right direction, 60 percent said it is headed in the wrong direction and 18.5 percent didn’t know. Six months ago, 35 percent said the economy was going in the right direction and 48 percent said it was headed in the wrong direction.

Fifty-three percent of those surveyed said they had a favorable opinion of Gov. John Baldacci, while 41 percent had an unfavorable opinion of him.

Two percent rated Baldacci’s job performance as excellent, 48 percent rated it as good, 32 percent said it was not so good, and 17 percent rated it poor.

The poll said 69 percent of Mainers support the Dirigo Health Program, the state’s initiative to provide affordable health coverage to small businesses and families. Nineteen percent said they oppose the program, and 12 percent didn’t know.

As for a racino, 56 percent of Mainers said they support allowing an Indian-operated racino in Washington County, with 37.5 percent in opposition.

On term limits, 37 percent supported and 52 percent opposed changing Maine’s term limits law for legislators from four two-year terms to six two-year terms.

Mainers were also optimistic about the Red Sox, with 48 percent saying the team would win the 2005 World Series. Thirty percent said the Red Sox would not win the World Series, and 22 percent didn’t know.

On the Net: http://www.panatlantic.net/sms-services.htm

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