By David Farmer,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – When it comes to politicians, Mainers are remarkably consistent.

They love Republican U.S. Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins. They don’t like President George Bush, and Democratic Gov. John Baldacci is somewhere in the middle.

In its latest tracking polls of attitudes toward elected officials in Maine, Survey USA asked 600 adults how they feel about their elected officials.

The polls, conducted between June 13 and 20, found that Mainers remain enamored with their duo of U.S. senators. Collins ranked as the second-most popular U.S. senator, with 73 percent of those asked saying they approve of the job she’s doing and only 24 percent saying they disapprove. Only Democratic U.S. Sen. Kent Conrad of North Dakota scored higher, with 75 percent approving and 19 percent disapproving.

Snowe clocked in at No. 7 overall, with 70 percent approving and 27 percent disapproving.

The results are consistent with Survey USA’s findings for much of the year. In March, April and May, Collins and Snowe notched approval ratings above 70 percent, staying within the top 10 when compared to their colleagues. In fact, their approval numbers have been at or above 70 percent for more than a year.

Baldacci maintained his 43 percent approval rating from May despite being the focus of much of the ire from the Republican primary to pick his opponent for the General Election. Fifty-four percent of respondents said they disapproved of the job Baldacci is doing.

The 43 percent is a slight improvement from March and April, when Baldacci’s approval numbers were 39 percent.

Bush has improved his standing since March, when his approval rating was just 28 percent. But his approval rating remains at only 31 percent for June. Nationally, the president’s support is pegged at 37 percent.

The Senate poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percent; for the gubernatorial poll, the margin of error is plus or minus 4.1 percent; for the presidential poll, it is plus or minus 3.8 percent.

The polls were sponsored by WCSH-TV in Portland and WLBZ-TV in Bangor.