Gov. Hogan Keeps High Approval Rating Ahead Of Re-Election Hopes: Latest Goucher Poll

ANNAPOLIS, MD — His public disagreements with President Donald Trump on health care and other issues have helped Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan keep his 60 percent approval rating, according to the latest Goucher Poll. Governor Hogan’s standing with Marylanders remains unchanged since the February 2017 Goucher Poll. Sixty-two percent of Marylanders approve of the job Hogan is doing as governor, 16 percent disapprove, and 20 percent say they don’t know. His highest approval rating measured by the Goucher Poll — 70 percent — was registered September 2016.

The high poll numbers come despite attempts by opponents to tie him to the unpopular policies of President Donald Trump — Hogan didn't support Trump and refused to vote for him in November. (For more events and local news, click here to sign up for real-time news alertsand newsletters from Annapolis Patch, and click here to find your local Maryland Patch. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)

“Governor Larry Hogan has now maintained his 60-plus approval rating since February 2016,” said Mileah Kromer, director of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center, in a news release. “His more recent public distancing from President Donald Trump’s policies on issues like health care and immigration have likely helped to maintain his approval ratings among Democrats and Independents — both of which he’ll need to do well with if he wants to become the second two-term Republican governor in Maryland’s history.”

Maryland residents were asked several additional questions about the governor, including his distance from President Trump. Forty-three percent of respondents suggested that Hogan has distanced himself "about the right amount" from President Trump. Twenty-seven percent of respondents believe Governor Hogan has distanced himself too little from the president, and 11 percent think he has distanced himself too much.

Marylanders who indicated that they were interested in the 2018 election and registered to vote in the state were asked whether they would vote to re-elect the first-term governor. A majority of Marylanders — 51 percent — say they are leaning toward or will definitely vote to re-elect Hogan. The poll says 42 percent of respondents are leaning toward or would definitely vote for another candidate in the 2018 gubernatorial election.

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These Maryland voters were asked about the single most important issue for determining their choice for governor, 28 percent say economy and jobs, 21 percent say education, and 12 percent say taxes or health care.

President Donald Trump and the US Congress

Twenty-five percent of Marylanders approve of the way President Trump is handling his job as president, and 71 percent disapprove. In February 2017, President Trump’s approval rating in Maryland was 29 percent.
Congress continues to earn poor job approval ratings from Marylanders. Only 8 percent approve of the job Congress is doing while 86 disapprove.

“The President has maintained his popularity among Maryland Republicans since the February Goucher Poll,” said Kromer, "but his ratings among Democrats have only gotten worse, to the point that more than 90 percent of Maryland Democrats disapprove of the job he is doing.”

Complete results, including methodology and question design, can be downloaded here.To view archived polls and sign up to receive future results, visit www.goucher.edu/poll.

About the Goucher Poll
To ensure all Maryland citizens are represented, the Goucher Poll is conducted using random digit dialing (RDD) of a stratified random sample of landline and cellular telephone numbers. The Goucher Poll is conducted under the auspices of the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center, which is housed in the Center for People, Politics, and Markets at Goucher College. Directed by Dr. Mileah Kromer, the Goucher Poll conducts surveys on public policy, economic, and social issues in Maryland. The Goucher Poll is fully funded by the Sarah T. Hughes Field Politics Center endowment and does not take additional funding from outside sources.

File photo of Larry Hogan via Facebook.