An analysis recently published on the politico.com Web site lists the Maine Senate contest as the 10th out of 10 "competitive Senate races."

The premise of the story is that the November election is likely to be bad for Senate Republicans, and that the question isn't whether they will lose seats, but how many.

The RealClearPolitics/Politico Scorecard analyzes the Maine race, which features Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine versus U.S. Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine. They say Allen "could make the race close, but he hasn't yet."

Here's what else politico.com had to say:

"Polls show this race may be a blowout for Collins. It shouldn't be, because Maine is a left-leaning state and this is a Democratic year, and Obama is polling well ahead of John McCain there.

But Collins has defined herself as an independent in a state with a predilection toward independence."

So, I'll ask again: blowout or barn burner?