Gonzales Poll: 74% Of Marylanders Approve Of Hogan, 56% Have Unfavorable View Of Trump
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A new Gonzales Research poll shows that 74 percent of Maryland voters approve of the job Governor Larry Hogan is doing, while 56 percent have an unfavorable attitude towards president-elect Donald Trump.
The poll was conducted by Gonzales Research & Media Services between December 14 and January 2. A total of 823 registered voters in Maryland were queried by live telephone interviews.
With the results from this poll, Republican Governor Larry Hogan is more popular than ever in Maryland. Analysts say Governor Hogan's approval rating haven't been seen by a Republican Governor in Maryland since the 1950's.
"It's close to 75. How do you get much higher than that?" says political analyst Matthew Crenson.
Political analyst Matthew Crenson says while Hogan has made controversial decisions, "The controversial decisions that he's made don't really take away things people already have, they deny them things they haven't already gotten," says Crenson.
Those things include the red line, and the proposed state center.
Gov. Hogan, a Republican governor in a traditionally blue state, is one of several members of the GOP who publicly spoke out against Trump during the campaign, saying he did not vote for him.
Broken down by male and female voters, 77 percent of men approve of Hogan and 14 percent disapprove while 71 percent of women approve and 16 disapprove. Meanwhile, 37 percent of men have a favorable opinion of Trump, compared with 25 percent of women.
About 66 percent of Democrats approve of Hogan's performance, while 86 percent of Republicans do, the poll says. When it comes to the president-elect, 17 percent of Democrats approve compared with 56 percent of Republicans.
The remaining percentages in each case did not respond or were neutral.
The poll also asked voters for their opinions on the legalization of medical marijuana (70 percent favor it), the legalization of pro sports gambling (29 percent favor it) and the state's heroin epidemic (41 percent say that, over the past five years, the epidemic has had a harmful effect on someone they know).
While the Republican Governor earns high marks from Maryland voters, the same cannot be said for the Republican President-elect. The latest poll shows just 30 percent approve of Donald Trump, with 56 percent disapproving, many of them strongly.
And while both Governor Hogan and President-elect Trump have both been political outsiders, Crenson says "maybe the key is his proposals would actually take away things that people already have. Notably the Affordable Care Act."
Still Governor Hogan, an outspoken opponent of Trump, says he plans to work with the new administration.
"I have a long-standing relationship with the Vice President, with the Chief of Staff. I know most of the cabinet very well. I think we should have a good relationship," says Hogan.
Though he admits he hasn't spoken directly with the President-elect.
Governor Hogan says he does plan to attend the inauguration later this month. A big test for the Governor's approval rating comes next week with this coming session of the General Assembly.
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