BANGOR – A new poll places Democrat John Baldacci a formidable 30 percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor in the race to become Maine’s next governor.

With less than eight weeks to go before Election Day, the poll, conducted for a media partnership including the Bangor Daily News, puts the outgoing 2nd District congressman at 57 percent to Republican Peter Cianchette’s 26 percent, if the election were held today.

Green Independent Jonathan Carter came in at 5 percent, with independent state Rep. John Michael of Auburn at less than 1 percent.

Ten percent were undecided.

Baldacci aides on Thursday were pleased with the new numbers, but were quick to sound their common refrain that the campaign is “taking nothing for granted.”

“People know him and they trust him and they like him,” said Baldacci spokeswoman Donna Gormley. “They know what he’s done for his district and now our challenge is to bring our message to the people in the 1st District.”

Baldacci spent most of August in the 1st District, where 51 percent of those surveyed backed the Bangor Democrat. In his home district, 63 percent of those surveyed said they supported Baldacci, who also fared well among independent voters, 54 percent of whom favored him in the poll.

The telephone survey of 523 likely Maine voters was conducted Sept. 7 to 10 by RKM Research for a partnership among WCSH 6 Portland, WLBZ 2 Bangor, the Bangor Daily News and Maine Public Broadcasting. The poll has a 4.3 percent margin of error.

While many have considered Baldacci of Bangor the front-runner in the race since the first whispers of his candidacy early last year, his challengers were anything but conciliatory when presented with the new polling numbers.

“This is way too early, and this poll isn’t a clear measure of anything but name recognition,” said Cianchette, a former state representative from South Portland, just before releasing his “Road to Growth” economic development plan Thursday in Brewer.

“What is clear is that I’m the candidate that is going to rein in state spending,” Cianchette continued, citing another poll question in which 76 percent of those surveyed said they favored spending cuts over new taxes to bridge the state’s $1 billion budget gap now projected for the next two-year cycle. “What this poll really says is that voters’ concerns are aligned with my message.”

Cianchette said he was preparing to release the results of his own internal polling, which he said showed the race to be “tight and getting tighter all the time.”

Carter, also in the Bangor area Thursday, joined Cianchette in questioning the poll results, saying his campaign’s internal polling showed more support for both himself and Cianchette, although Carter declined to release the numbers.

“I think that most pollsters will tell you that most people make up their minds in the last weeks,” said Carter, adding he was unconcerned with the poll results and “very optimistic” he would get the 34 to 35 percent of the vote that could win the four-way contest.

Analysts also expect Carter to see a boost in the polls once he begins his television advertising campaign, which will be funded largely with the $900,000 he recently received in Clean Elections funds.

Michael could not be reached for comment.

While Baldacci’s opponents challenged the survey’s methodology, public opinion experts said the poll was a “reasonable, although not ideal,” measure of voters’ feelings – at least for four days in early September.

“What people say in September is not necessarily what they say in November,” said University of Maine political analyst Amy Fried. “And answering questions in a telephone poll is not the same as voting.”

Voters surveyed also cited their top issues when deciding among the gubernatorial candidates to be taxes, at 15 percent; the economy at 14 percent; health care at 13 percent; and education at 12 percent.