I have something to confess: Until he announced his candidacy for governor last month, I had no idea Angus King III existed.

According to the results of a political poll just released, I might be in the minority. About 80% of Maine’s Democrats said they would consider supporting the son of three-term U.S. Sen. Angus King for governor. Just one in 10 of those polled said they’d never heard of him.

From the often-helpful LinkedIn, I learned the younger Angus, 54, is “a proud Mainer, a father, husband, builder and innovator.” He’s been running a renewable energy company.

Could he make a good governor? I have no clue.

King III’s name recognition is through the roof. Already, voters seem to be confusing him with his widely known and appreciated father, a two-term governor before he headed to Washington. In a ranked-choice primary, having a recognizable name that carries positive associations is a pretty good way to emerge as a whole lot of voters’ first or second choice.

One other item in that new Pan Atlantic Omnibus poll is important to note: Sen. King is viewed “at least somewhat favorably” by two-thirds of Mainers. Not just Democrats, all Mainers.

This helps the younger Angus, who, despite facing a strong primary field that so far includes Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and former state Senate President Troy Jackson, surely has a shot at winning the governor’s race.

What strikes me, though, is that Angus King III might be running for the wrong office. This political newcomer could show that he’s more than just a name by taking on a bigger role for his party and challenging U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.

To be a good governor, someone ought to have a keen understanding of state government before landing in the Blaine House. To be a good senator? You just need common sense, keen political instincts and to read a decent newspaper from time to time.

Maine could then have a race where the son of one sitting senator is challenging the state’s other senator. Senators’ sons, as Creedence Clearwater Revival famously recognized, are fortunate.

Once, back in 1848, voters in Iowa elected August Dodge to serve as their first senator. His father, Henry Dodge, had been chosen as a senator in Wisconsin a few months earlier. The two Dodges remained together in the Senate until 1855, when Iowans sent the younger Dodge packing. Don’t feel sorry for him, though. He quickly headed to Spain as an ambassador.

A handful of senators had fathers who also served in the Senate, including Al Gore, Lisa Murkowski, Russell Long, Robert Taft Jr. and Frederick Hale of Maine, who served from 1917 to 1941. Hale’s father, Eugene Hale, was a Maine senator for three decades.

In 2020, Collins fended off a tough challenge from Sara Gideon, a Democrat with far, far less name recognition than Angus King III. Gideon’s Rhode Island childhood hurt her chances; the younger King would have no such worries.

I could see King III taking on Collins seriously without having to bash her. He could just focus on how nice it would be for Maine’s senior senator to return home for a much-deserved retirement — much like Democrat Bill Hathaway ushered out Republican Margaret Chase Smith in 1972.

The recent poll gives Sen. King a +38 favorability rating in Maine. It pegs Collins at a comparatively watery +4, with 45% of Mainers — of all political affiliations — eyeing her unfavorably.

In short, Sen. Collins is looking vulnerable. It could be that a King takes her out.