Gov. Hogan Has 16-Point Lead Over Democrat Jealous In Latest Poll

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A new poll shows that Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has a 16-point lead over challenger Ben Jealous in the Maryland governor's race as the November election approaches. Hogan, a moderate Republican who has support from Democrats as well as in his own party, garnered 52 percent approval from those polled, compared with 36 percent for Jealous, a former NAACP leader.

The governor has had a double-digit lead in polls since February, according to Real Clear Politics. Hogan is the second-most popular governor in the United States with voters of both parties giving him approval ratings of 70 percent or more, and he recently commented on a possible run for president.

"If the Maryland election for governor were held today, GOP incumbent Larry Hogan would be re-elected, becoming a near Halley’s Comet-like phenomenon," the Gonzales Maryland Poll says in its analysis released Tuesday. Statewide, 52 percent support Hogan, 36 percent support Democrat Jealous, 1 percent say they’ll vote for either Libertarian candidate Shawn Quinn or Green Party candidate Ian Schlakman, and 11 percent are undecided.

Hogan has big leads in Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties, plus western Maryland and on the Eastern Shore, the poll numbers say. Jealous has more support in the city of Baltimore, along with Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, WJZ reports.

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Jealous won union endorsements but not universal backing from Democratic party leaders in the primary election, where he upset Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker III. Hogan's campaign has trumpeted dozens of endorsements from current and former elected Democratic officials supporting the governor for re-election over Jealous. The endorsements include Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman, Bowie City Councilman Henri Gardner, Bowie Mayor Fred Robinson, former Anne Arundel County Executive Jim Lighthizer, and more.

Helping Hogan woo voters in a blue state has been his public opposition to President Donald Trump; the governor went so far as to write in his late father on the presidential ballot rather than voting for the controversial Trump. Last summer after a violent white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, left one woman dead and at least 19 people injured, Hogan condemned the gathering even as Trump said there was on both sides for the clashes. Last weekend Hogan reiterated his stance ahead of another white nationalist rally in DC, which fizzled.

When Hogan spoke with David Rubenstein, president of the Economic Club of Washington D.C., in front of business leaders at the Bethesda Marriott recently, he noted that he is one of the country's most popular governors, and "you never say never" about running for president.

"I have never really given that much thought," Hogan said of a run for president, according to The Washington Post. "Right now, I'm a lot more focused on just getting reelected because there's a lot more things to get done in the second four years."

But he didn't completely dismiss a presidential bid in 2020 or 2024. Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, both Republicans, have also refused to rule out a possible 2020 presidential run, Politico says.

A new quarterly poll released last week by Morning Consult said 68 percent of voters approve of Hogan, while only 17 percent disapprove and the rest don't know or have no opinion of the governor. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is the most popular governor in the United States, according to the poll, with only a 1 percent higher approval rating than Hogan.

Photo of Gov. Larry Hogan courtesy of Maryland governor's office; photo of Democratic nominee Ben Jealous from his campaign