Washington Post Maryland Elections Poll, June 2006

This special topic poll, fielded June 19-25, 2006, is part
of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion
on the current presidency and on a range of other political and social
issues. This poll surveyed 1,127 Maryland residents, including an
oversample of Black respondents, on the upcoming primary and general
elections in their state. Residents were asked whether they approved
of the way President George W. Bush was handling the presidency, their
level of interest in the upcoming elections in Maryland, and whether
they were registered to vote. Registered voters were polled on the
likelihood that they would vote in the Democratic primary and general
election in Maryland, and for whom they would vote in the
gubernatorial and senatorial races. Views were sought on how things
were going in the state of Maryland, the city of Baltimore, and
Montgomery County, and the problems facing the state of Maryland and
the respondents' own community. Respondents gave their opinions of
Governor Bob Ehrlich and First Lady Kendel Ehrlich, the governor's
handling of his job and issues such as the protection of Chesapeake
Bay, and the influence of various groups on his administration.
Opinions were also elicited on Lt. Governor Michael Steele, former
Governor William Donald Schaefer, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley,
Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, Democratic U.S. Senate
candidates Ben Cardin and Kweisi Mfume, and the Democratic and
Republican parties in Maryland. Additional topics addressed the war
in Iraq, slot-machine gambling, gay marriage, abortion, the state
legislature's decision to force Wal-Mart to spend more on employee
health benefits, and the effect of immigration on the respondent's
community. Information was also collected on respondents' county of
residence, and which local television news station they
watched. Demographic variables include sex, age, race, household
income, marital status, education level, type of residential area
(e.g., urban or rural), presence of children in the household,
political party affiliation, political philosophy, voter registration
status, religious preference, frequency of religious attendance, and
whether respondents considered themselves born-again or evangelical
Christians.