A group calling itself the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace is touting a new poll that shows Susan Collins (R) with a 23 point lead over her expected rival Tom Allen (D).

The poll, which was conducted March 6th through the 9th released the following results:

The majority of voters favor Susan Collins over Tom Allen on the Maine Senate ballot

(54% to 31%), and only 15% of voters are undecided. Collins’ lead remains consistent, regardless of union affiliation (56% to 32% union/54% to 30% non-union).

The Coalition is a group of businesses focused on opposition to the Employee Free Choice Act. The poll also asked Mainer’s the following:

Should federal laws be changed by Congress to make it much easier for unions to hold elections in nonunion work places to organize more workers into unions or should the laws be left the way they are now?

57% of Mainer’s agreed that the law should be left the way it is. It would be easy to dismiss this poll as some special interest poll being touted by a group with an axe to grind. The problem is that these numbers line up with previous poll numbers, and according to one source familiar with Collins internal numbers, “….are not too far off.”

The folks running this group apparently have big plans for the summer, both here in Maine -- and in other key states with competitive US Senate races.

Welcome to the post-McCain-Feingold world.