Poll: Maryland

This poll was conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, Inc. of Washington, D.C. from November 1 through November 3, 2006.  A total of 625 registered Maryland voters were interviewed statewide by telephone. All stated they were likely to vote in the November general election.  

Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. 

A cross-section of exchanges was utilized in order to ensure an accurate reflection of the state.  Quotas were assigned to reflect voter turn-out by county.

The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 4 percentage points. This means that there is a 95 percent probability that the "true" figure would fall within that range if the entire population were sampled.  The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as a gender or regional grouping.

Do you recognize the name ______?

(IF YES) Do you have a favorable, unfavorable or neutral opinion of ________?

BOB EHRLICH	MARTIN O'MALLEY	MICHAEL STEELE	BEN CARDIN
FAVORABLE	41%	40%	45%	47%
UNFAVORABLE	32%	35%	36%	32%
NEUTRAL	25%	25%	19%	20%
DON'T RECOGNIZE	1%	0.6%	1%	2%

If the 2006 election for Governor were held today, would you vote for:

O'MALLEY	45%
EHRLICH	45%
OTHER	0.3%
UNDECIDED	9%

If the 2006 election for Maryland’s U.S. Senate seat were held today, would you vote for:

CARDIN	47%
STEELE	44%
ZEESE	0.6%
UNDECIDED	9%

Will your vote for U.S. Senate mainly be:

FOR CANDIDATE	77%
AGAINST OPPONENT	21%
NOT SURE	2%

Do you approve or disapprove of George W. Bush’s overall job performance as President? (Is that, strongly approve/disapprove or somewhat approve/disapprove?)

STRONGLY APPROVE	16%
SOMEWHAT APPROVE	21%	37%
SOMEWHAT DISAPPROVE	11%
STRONGLY DISAPPROVE	50%	61%
NOT SURE	2%

Do you approve or disapprove of the way Congress is handling its job?  Is that, strongly approve, somewhat approve, somewhat disapprove, or strongly disapprove?

STRONGLY APPROVE	1%
SOMEWHAT APPROVE	22%	23%
SOMEWHAT DISAPPROVE	29%
STRONGLY DISAPPROVE	44%	73%
NOT SURE	4%

Which ONE of the following issues will be MOST important in determining your vote for U.S. Senate this year:

IRAQ	31%
ECONOMY/JOBS	13%
TERRORISM/SECURITY	10%
MORAL/FAMILY	9%
IMMIGRATION	8%
TAXES/GOVT SPNDG	7%
HEALTH CARE	6%
GAS PRICE/ENERGY	1%
OTHER/DK	14%

Generally speaking, would you say things in the country are heading in the right direction, or are they are off on the wrong track?

RIGHT DIRECTION	27%
WRONG TRACK	63%
NOT SURE	10%

Do you approve or disapprove of the Bush administration’s policies in Iraq?  (Is that strongly approve/disapprove or somewhat approve/disapprove?)

STRONGLY APPROVE	11%
SOMEWHAT APPROVE	20%	31%
SOMEWHAT DISAPPROVE	16%
STRONGLY DISAPPROVE	52%	67%
NOT SURE	2%

In your view, did either of the candidates for U.S. Senate attack the other unfairly?

NO	24%
CARDIN DID	13%
STEELE DID	7%
BOTH DID	43%
NOT SURE	13%

What is your current official party voter registration? Are you registered to vote as a:

DEMOCRAT	54%
REPUBLICAN	33%
INDEPENDENT	13%

Would you describe your personal political views as liberal, moderate, or conservative?

LIBERAL	24%
MODERATE	45%
CONSERVATIVE	30%
DK/REF	1%

What is your age?

18-34	15%
35-49	32%
50-64	32%
65+	21%
REF	1%

Which of the following best describes your race or ethnicity?

WHITE	73%
BLACK	24%
HISPANIC	2%
OTHER	0.6%
REFUSED	1%

SEX:

MALE	48%
FEMALE	52%

REGION:

EAST SHORE/SOUTHERN MD	12%
BALTIMORE COUNTY	15%
BALTIMORE CITY	8%
CENTRAL MD	23%
PRINCE GEORGES CO	14%
MONTGOMERY CO	18%
WESTERN MD	10%