Poll: Larry Hogan holds commanding lead in Maryland race

Gov. Larry Hogan (R) holds a commanding 22-point lead over challenger Ben Jealous (D) in the Maryland governor race, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

The Goucher College Poll found that 54 percent of likely voters would vote for Hogan compared to 32 percent for Jealous, with 9 percent undecided.

{mosads} The poll also showed that 73 percent of those who have decided how to vote are set on their candidate.

The poll showed as well that 60 percent of voters said their opinions about President Trump would have no or only a little effect on their choice for governor, while 39 percent say that their opinion toward the president will have some or a lot of effect.

In 2014 Hogan became only the second Republican governor in Maryland in 50 years, though in 2016 the state overwhelmingly voted for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center at Goucher College, pointed to Hogan’s fundraising edge and voter’s trust in his economic policies as reasons for the lead.

“Hogan’s electoral strength continues to be grounded in political moderation and the confidence the public has in him to handle economic issues. We have less than two months to see whether Hogan can maintain his bipartisan voting coalition or if Jealous can turnout enough progressives to make up the difference,” she said.

The results of the Goucher survey are not that different from previous polling for this race. A survey conducted by Gonzales Research & Marketing Strategies in August showed Hogan leading Jealous by 16 points.

Goucher surveyed 472 likely voters between Sept. 11 and Sept. 16 and the results have a margin of error of 3.4 percent.