Poll: Hogan Approval Rating At 74 Percent

Less than a week before the Maryland General Assembly session begins, a new poll finds 74 percent of Marylanders have a favorable view of Gov. Larry Hogan.

The poll of 823 registered voters conducted between December 14 and this past Monday finds 45 percent "strongly approve" of the job Hogan is doing, while 29 percent "somewhat approve."

CLICK HERE to read the poll results.

The poll finds 15 percent disapprove of the job Hogan is doing, and 11 percent of those surveyed had no opinion.

Gonzales' poll released in March found Hogan with a 70 percent approval rating.

Democratic voters outnumber Republicans by a about a 2-to-1 margin in Maryland, and among Democrats, the poll found Hogan with a 66 percent approval rating. Among Republicans, it's 86 percent, and among unaffiliated voters it's 81 percent.

"Voters of Maryland are responding well to Governor Hogan two years into his term," Gonzales told WBAL NewsRadio 1090.

"It sends the message that if the election were tomorrow, it would probably be Governor Hogan for a second term, but the election is in two years...precisely 22 months...and a lot can change."

Gonzales added that even with the high approval numbers, 51 percent of those surveyed say they would vote for Hogan “if the 2018 election were held today.”

Gonzxales says that 31 percent would vote for the Democratic candidate, and 18 percent are undecided.

The poll found that just 30 percent of Marylanders view President-elect Donald Trump favorably, while 56 percent view him unfavorably. Gonzales says that reflects the General Election results in Maryland, where Hillary Clinton won with 60 percent of the vote.

The poll also found that 70 percent of Marylanders favor Maryland's medical marijuana law which was approved in 2013, but the medical cannabis program has yet to be implemented.

The poll found that only 29 percent favor legalized sports gambling in Maryland.

The poll also addressed the heroin epidemic in Maryland with 41 percent say the epidemic has impacted someone they know. Gonzales says in Baltimore City that number is 68 percent. The poll found 42 percent statewide said the heroin epidemic has not impacted anyone they know, and 17-percent had no answer.

Gonzales says voters were contacted both by landline and cell phones. The poll has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5-percent.