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Former Maine House Speaker Hannah Pingree continues to hold a comfortable lead over Republican Bobby Charles and independent Rick Bennett in the race to become Maine’s next governor, a New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll shows.

Pingree — a 49-year-old Democrat from North Haven who led a policy office under Gov. Janet Mills and is the daughter of U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree — has had double-digit polling leads over Charles and Bennett since winning the crowded Democratic primary in June. That trend continued in the latest poll of the race.

Pingree garnered support from 48% of respondents, compared to 36% for Charles and 8% for Bennett in the poll of 309 likely Maine voters that was conducted from Sept. 15-17 and had a margin of error of +/- 2.9 percentage points. Among the respondents, 8% said they “don’t know” or refused to say whom they will for in November.

The poll confirmed Pingree’s advantage that Charles, a 66-year-old Leeds lawyer and former assistant U.S. secretary of state, is hoping to overcome by Nov. 3. It also shows that Bennett, 63, a former Republican state senator from Oxford, is still struggling to gain traction.

In the last Times/Press Herald/Siena poll of the race in June, Bennett also garnered 8% support, compared to 36% for Charles and 50% for Pingree. Bennett, who left the GOP and entered the race in June, is seeking to become the state’s third-ever independent governor. But Bennett, a former Maine Republican Party chair, has consistently trailed the other two in polling and fundraising.

Maine has not consecutively elected governors of the same party since 1959, but this year looks favorable for Democrats to keep the Blaine House while fighting to maintain their narrow State House majorities. Pingree remains the front-runner in the race to succeed Mills, who is termed out after eight years in office. Pingree has also enjoyed a comfortable fundraising advantage and has raked in more than $4 million during her campaign.

The majority of the respondents to the latest poll were focused on Pingree and Charles. Supporters either indicated they view Pingree as a steady leader and Charles as too extreme due to his pro-Trump rhetoric, which helped him win the GOP primary; or Pingree as more of the same after eight years of Mills and Charles as the right pick to shake up Augusta.

Joanne Zayszly, 76, a retired teacher from Turner, called Bennett a “very good guy” but said she views Pingree as the better choice to help Maine push back against President Donald Trump.

“I think Hannah Pingree really has Maine people in mind, and she has proven herself in the Legislature and even in her local politics,” she said.

Maine’s other high-profile midterm races — the U.S. Senate contest between Sen. Susan Collins and former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, and the 2nd Congressional District battle between former Gov. Paul LePage and State Auditor Matt Dunlap — look considerably more competitive. Polling at the national level has indicated tough headwinds for Republicans amid voter discontent with Trump’s handling of the Iran war and rising prices facing consumers.

The New York Times/Portland Press Herald/Siena poll of Maine voters was funded with support from the Maine Trust for Local News.