Gov. Martin O’Malley’s job approval rating has increased to 45 percent in the latest statewide poll, but support for slot machine gambling has fallen to 49 percent as the public faces a vote on the question in eight weeks.
Three out of four Marylanders — 78 percent — said they were concerned about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, but “the economy is far and away the No. 1 concern,” according to a new Gonzales Research poll of 833 likely voters completed this past week.
The telephone survey also showed Democratic Sen. Barack Obama with a comfortable 52 percent to 38 percent lead over Republican Sen. John McCain in the presidential contest in Maryland.
President George Bush also had the worst job rating numbers of his presidency among state residents, with only 23 percent approving of the job he is doing.
The margin of error for the poll is 3.5 percent.
O’Malley’s ratings have gone up 8 points since March to 45 percent, and those who disapprove of his performance have gone down 13 percent to 35 percent, “attributable to better numbers among Democrats and independents in the state,” the pollsters said. “Among Republicans, two-thirds still disapprove of the job he’s doing as governor.”
“The people of Maryland understand that the budget challenges Maryland faces were not caused by this administration, and that Gov. O’Malley has worked hard to address them,” O’Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said.
Though those numbers should make the governor happy, the numbers on the slot machine constitutional amendment will not, since he plans to use the money to help balance next year’s budget.
Less than half of voters — 49 percent — support the plan, down 5 points since January, and opposition to the new gaming is up 5 points to 43 percent.
Men are more likely to support slots than women — 53 percent to 45 percent, respectively — and the pollsters found, “Republicans are the only party bloc at this point in which a majority says they’ll vote for the amendment.”
A majority of independents — 52 percent — and half the voters in the Washington D.C. suburbs said they will vote against the amendment.
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