A new poll shows Rep. Ben Cardin gaining a double-digit margin over Kweisi Mfume in the Democratic race to succeed Paul Sarbanes in the U.S. Senate.
Gov. Robert Ehrlich is only four points behind Baltimore Mayor Martin O?Malley in the Republican?s effort to win reelection, with the governor at 42 percent and the mayor at 46 percent, while 11 percent are undecided.
The telephone survey of 843 voters by Gonzales Research also shows Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele running a competitive race for U.S. Senate against either Cardin or Mfume in the general election. Steele trails Cardin by five points, 39 percent to Cardin?s 44 percent, with 16 percent undecided.
Steele leads ex-congressman Mfume 42 percent to 38 percent, with 19 percent undecided.
Conducted last week, the poll also shows Ehrlich?s job approval rating inching up slightly to 54 percent, and President Bush?s approval rating has gone up as well, but only to 36 percent. Even the ratings on the president?s handling of the Iraq war has improved a bit, with 32 percent approving and 59 percent disapproving.
Pollster Patrick Gonzales, who has done opinion surveys in Maryland for over 20 years, said “Cardin?s massive advertising blitz the past couple of weeks” is what helped lead 43 percent of voters to say they?ll choose the Baltimore congressman.
Thirty percent said they?ll support Mfume, the former NAACP president, who leads in the Washington suburbs; 6 percent back businessman Josh Rales, who has funneled $5 million of mostly his own money into an advertising campaign; and 3 percent back history professor Allan Lichtman.
