PORTLAND – Sen. Susan Collins held a 20-point lead over Rep. Tom Allen in the 2008 Senate race, while candidates vying for Allen’s congressional seat showed little success in distinguishing themselves in the minds of voters, according to a poll released Friday.

The Critical Insights poll, which touched on a range of topics of interest to business, government and the general public, found 54 percent support for Republican Collins and 34 percent for Democrat Allen. Twelve percent were either undecided, didn’t know or refused to say.

The statewide survey was based on 408 telephone interviews with likely voters from Oct. 12 to Oct. 30. Its margin of error was 5 percentage points.

In the crowded race in the 1st Congressional District, none of the candidates was recognizable by more than 4 percent of those polled. When asked to name any candidates running for Allen’s seat, 89 percent of district residents surveyed were unable to offer a name.

Democrats Chellie Pingree and Ethan Strimling were the ones most frequently identified, but only by 4 percent of respondents.

For the first time in two years, the poll found that Gov. John Baldacci’s disapproval rating exceeded his approval rating, 47 percent to 44 percent.

Baldacci’s signature issue, school consolidation, got low marks, with 39 percent opposing his plan, 31 percent supporting it, 25 percent neutral and 5 percent undecided.

Taxation emerged as the public’s No. 1 concern, but its identification as such by 18 percent was well below the 34 percent it received in a poll last year during the campaign on the Taxpayer Bill of Rights.

Other issues cited this year as key concerns included unemployment, 17 percent; the economy, 16 percent; health care, 15 percent; and education 9 percent.

In terms of the economy, 61 percent said it was in worse shape than a year ago, 33 percent found it about the same and 6 percent said it had improved.

In a truth-in-advertising query, interviewers asked if respondents agreed with Maine’s tagline, “The Way Life Should Be.” They did, by a 2-1 margin – 65 percent to 33 percent – with 2 percent saying they don’t know.

Those most likely to agree were Democrats and political independents, Mainers earning at least $75,000 a year, residents age 55 and older, and people in northern Maine. Skeptics were likeliest to be found among those ages 18 to 34.