WASHINGTON — There may be twice as many Democrats as Republicans in Maryland, but the state’s GOP governor is getting high marks.
In the latest Washington Post/University of Maryland poll, 61 percent of all adults approve of the job Gov. Larry Hogan is doing leading the state. The governor even has high marks among Democrats and independents, with 54 percent of the former and 59 percent of the latter approving of Hogan’s work, along with 83 percent of Republicans.
Hogan also gets high marks in Baltimore’s suburbs, with 70 percent of adults in Baltimore County and 72 percent of adults in Anne Arundel and Howard counties approving of the governor’s job performance.
About 55 percent of Montgomery County adults approve of Hogan’s performance, while only 43 percent of Prince George’s County adults say the same. The governor gets a bigger thumbs-up in the city of Baltimore, where 54 percent of adults there approve the job he is doing.
When it comes to priorities, 37 percent of adults surveyed say public education should be the state government’s top focus. Other top issues were the economy (20 percent), taxes (13 percent) and transportation/infrastructure (9 percent).
On the issues that mattered to voters, Hogan generally received high marks:
- On education, 47 percent of adult respondents say they approve of the governor’s work, while 31 percent disapproved.
- On the economy, 60 percent approved of Gov. Hogan’s efforts, while 25 percent disapproved.
- When it comes to taxes, 49 percent of adult respondents approved of Hogan’s performance, while 31 percent disapproved.
- On transportation and infrastructure, 52 percent approved of the governor’s work while 16 percent disapproved. The governor generally has higher marks regarding transportation in the greater Baltimore area, where he killed the proposed Red Line project, than he does in the D.C. suburbs, where he is moving forward with the Purple Line project.
Interestingly, the pollsters asked residents whether they thought Hogan was a typical Republican or a different type of Republican, and whether that was a good thing or not. About 50 percent of respondents say Hogan is a different type of Republican, with 45 percent of the total saying that’s a good thing and 5 percent saying that’s a bad thing. About 32 percent of adults described Hogan as a typical Republican, with 14 percent saying that’s a good thing and 19 percent saying that’s a bad thing.
The governor also received a lot of support regarding his cancer diagnosis. The poll found that 56 percent of adults had heard about the diagnosis, and about three-quarters saying it is good that Hogan has remained in office while being treated for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A Baltimore County resident told The Washington Post that he’s just like any everyday American who has to work while they are sick.
Most Maryland residents believe the state’s economy has remained the same (54 percent), while 24 percent say it has improved and 19 percent say it’s gotten worse. Of those who say it has improved, 77 percent credit Hogan. Of those who say it has gotten worse, 49 percent blame the governor.
When it comes to residents’ impressions of the governor, 62 percent have a favorable impression of the Republican as a person. But when asked about Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, 79 percent say they had no opinion.
Pollsters contacted 1,006 random adult residents of Maryland by telephone between Oct. 8 and 11. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
