** FILE ** Former Gov. Robert Ehrlich.Mr. Ehrlich has opened up a 3 percentage point lead over the Democratic governor in one of the nation’s more liberal states, according to an automated survey of over 750 likely voters by the polling firm Magellan Strategies. It is the first poll to show the one-term former GOP governor ahead in the race.
According to the Magellan poll, Mr. Ehrlich was preferred by 46 percent of state voters to 43 percent for Mr. O'Malley, a close political ally of President Obama. About 4 percent of those polled preferred another candidate and 7 percent were undecided.
The spread was within the poll’s 3.5 percent margin of error, but another finding suggested more political troubles for the Democratic incumbent. Only 41 percent of Maryland voters said they had a favorable opinion of the governor, compared to 45 percent with an unfavorable opinion. For Mr. Ehrlich, 51 percent of voters reported having a favorable opinion vs. 32 percent with a negative opinion.
Mr. O'Malley still claimed a slight edge with the state’s crucial independent voter bloc, leading by a 38 percent to 34 percent margin, but nearly a third of the independent vote is either backing another candidate or is still up for grabs, according to the Magellan poll.
Mr. O'Malley ousted Mr. Ehrlich in 2006 by a 52 percent to 46 percent margin. The political reporting site CQToday.com rates Mr. O'Malley as a slight favorite to defeat Mr. Ehrlich again in November.
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Raised in Northern Virginia, David R. Sands received an undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He worked as a reporter for several Washington-area business publications before joining The Washington Times.
At The Times, Mr. Sands has covered numerous beats, including international trade, banking, politics ...
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