Posted on 07/12/2010 7:03:09 AM PDT by RockinRight
The race for governor of Maryland remains a close one, with incumbent Democrat Martin O’Malley and Republican challenger Bob Ehrlich in a virtual tie again this month.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in Maryland finds Ehrlich with 47% support to O’Malley’s 46%. Two percent (2%) prefer some other candidate, and five percent (5%) remain undecided.
As expected, the rematch of the 2006 race has been close from the start and has been getting even closer as time goes on. In February, O’Malley led 49% to 43%, but by April it was a closer 47% to 44%. The two were tied last month with 45% apiece.
Still, Ehrlich faces an uphill struggle to reclaim the office he held from 2003 to 2007 in a state that trends strongly Democratic. But Marylanders, like voters nationwide, remain pessimistic about the economy.
Just 11% of Maryland voters rate the economy as good, while 44% view it as bad. Thirty-five percent (35%) say the economy is getting better; 42% say it’s getting worse. While bleak, these assessments are a bit more positive than the national view.
Two-thirds (67%) of the voters in the state say the country is in recession. The survey of 500 Likely Voters in Maryland was conducted on July 8, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4.5 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
In the 2006 election, O’Malley, then mayor of Baltimore, defeated Ehrlich, the first GOP governor in the state since the 1960s, by a 53% to 46% margin.
Ehrlich currently claims 87% of the state’s GOP vote and 22% of Maryland Democrats, while O’Malley earns just 71% support in his own party. Voters not affiliated with either major party prefer the Republican by 15 points.
Even in a state as reliably Democratic as Maryland, a majority (51%) of voters continue to favor repeal of the new national health care bill, although that’s several points lower than views nationally. Forty-seven percent (47%) oppose repeal. This includes 41% who Strongly Favor repeal of the bill and 35% who are Strongly Opposed.
Eighty-one percent (81%) of those who Strongly Favor repeal support Ehrlich, while 80% of those who are Strongly Opposed favor O’Malley.
Marylanders also remain much less supportive of Arizona’s new immigration law than voters nationally. Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters in the state favor passage of such a law in Maryland, while 35% oppose such a law and 16% are not sure.
Seventy-eight percent (78%) of those who support an Arizona-like law in Maryland back Ehrlich. Eighty percent (80%) of voters opposed to such a law support O’Malley.
Thirty-nine percent (39%) of all Maryland voters agree with the Justice Department’s decision to challenge Arizona’s law in federal court, but 47% oppose that challenge.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) of the state’s voters favor a welcoming immigration policy that only excludes national security threats, criminals and those who come here to live off America’s welfare system. Twenty-two percent (22%) oppose a policy with those limitations, and 21% more are unsure.
Fifty percent (50%) currently approve of the job O’Malley is doing as governor, down four points from a month ago. Forty-eight percent (48%) disapprove.
The governor is viewed Very Favorably by 26% of the state’s voters and Very Unfavorably by 28%.
Thirty-three percent (33%) have a Very Favorable opinion of Ehrlich, a congressman from the south Baltimore area prior to his election as governor. Twenty percent (20%) view him Very Unfavorably.
Both men are well-known in the state, but at this point in a campaign, Rasmussen Reports considers the number of people with a strong opinion more significant than the total favorable/unfavorable numbers.
Forty-two percent (42%) of voters in Maryland say the $787-billion economic stimulus plan helped the economy, compared to 29% who feel that way nationwide. Only 28% in Maryland say the stimulus hurt the economy, and another 24% say it had no impact.
But just 32% think the government spending in the stimulus package created new jobs. Forty-eight percent (48%) say it did not create any new jobs.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) say cutting taxes is a better way to crease new jobs than increased government spending. Twenty-two percent (22%) think increased spending is the better course.
Fifty-seven percent (57%) approve of the way President Obama is doing his job, but 43% disapprove. This is unchanged from the previous survey and higher approval than Obama earns nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.
the property tax bills are coming in now- mine’s up 10% from last year
This “may” boost Ehrlich but so far his campaign seems very muted distant and low key-
“I am Not O’Malley” is about the gist of it
You’re right. He has most name recognition and it appears that he has the momentum and a heck of a lot better than O’Malley.
wow.
I wonder how many people are pissed at the sales tax hike. "Not being O'Malley" might carry a lot of weight simply because of that.
and we also need Charles Lollar to defeat Steny Hoyer.
He better speak up about his views on illegal imigration. I live in baltimore county and there are illegals everywhere. I would prefer Pat McDonough to be running.
IIRC, in 2006, when Ehrlich lost his re-election bid, his approval rating was 56%. Yet Marylanders wanted him out anyway.
Any realistic chance of that happening? I sure as hell hope so.
Much tougher race.
Precisely.
Show Owe Malley the door!
These are the candidates I am supporting so far. There are a few more I’m looking into.
Governvor
http://www.bobehrlich.com/
Md 2nd district (Ditch Dutch)
http://troystouffer.com/
US Senate
http://www.rutledgeforussenate.com
Md 8th leg. district
http://ranimerryman.com/
This reference link was posted by Ranni on FB. It lists all of the candidates for each Leg and Cong district.
http://www.gopinmaryland.com/
Also IMO, this is a good site for reference.
http://conservativecongress.com/research/
Too close. O’Malley has an ‘in’ with all the dead Baltimore voters.
Ehrlich only won his first race for governor because the Democrat Party in Maryland didn't like their own candidate Kathleen Kennedy Townsend (yes, those very Kennedys from Mass.) The Maryland Democrat Party establishment is still very much an "old boy" network. Even though Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was LT. Governor she was perceived by Maryland residents and the Dems as an outsider. People felt that the Kennedy family was trying to muscle into the state and establish another political power base for themselves at the expense of the citizens of Maryland. They didn't want those out of state Mass. Kennedys running Maryland from the Kennedy compound in Hyannis Port, Mass. or from Ted Kennedy's Wash. DC office.
It might help is Erhlich would do something — anything — to activate the conservative Republican base. Like for instance, apologizing for having raised massive “fees” on everything from license tags to toilet water during his last liberal reign. It’s all a matter of turn out. And it’s tough to turn out for a leftwing liar.
Oops, in my haste I forgot to add Andy Harris to that list.
Md 1st district (Dump Kratovil)
“But Marylanders, like voters nationwide, remain pessimistic about... “
Democrats
If a dead dog ran against O’Malley, I’d vote for the dog.
Maryland “Freak State” PING!
I’d vote for the dead dog’s fleas over O’Malley.
Or the ACORNS, La Razas, and Casa de Maryland wanted him out and they voted early and often...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.