The Washington Post-University of Maryland Poll Reveals Marylanders' Views on Democratic Presidential Contenders

Heading into the Democratic presidential debates, Maryland voters indicate low levels of support for former Gov. Martin O’Malley. This information comes from the latest iteration of The Washington Post-University of Maryland Poll.

When asked to choose from a list of possible candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination, only 4% of self-identified “leaned Democrat” respondents said they would vote for O’Malley if the primary in Maryland were held today. Read The Washington Post story.

“The new results show that Martin O’Malley is not getting any special consideration from his home state. His low levels of support magnify the importance of the first Democratic debate on Tuesday night,” said Peyton Craighill, polling manager for The Washington Post.

Hillary Clinton was the top choice, with 44% of respondents saying they would vote for her; Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders followed with 24% and 20% of participants indicating support, respectively. Jim Webb was supported by 1% of respondents.

“Maryland Democrats seem to be positioned similarly to other Democrats across the country in their choice for president—despite having someone from the state in the race. This demonstrates that the battle for the Democratic nomination is still Clinton’s to lose, and that other candidates will have to maximize the opportunity of the debates to make any appreciable inroads into her lead,” said Associate Professor of Government and Politics Stella Rouse, director for UMD’s Center for American Politics and Citizenship (CAPC).

Additional Topics

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Former members of Congress and members of the Maryland legislature will participate in a special event in November at the University of Maryland to further discuss the poll and results related to campaign finance.

About the Poll

This third iteration of The Washington Post-University of Maryland poll was conducted by telephone October 8-11, 2015, among a random sample of 1,006 adult residents of Maryland. Interviews were conducted by live interviewers on both conventional and cellular phones. The results from the full survey have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.66 percentage points. Sampling, data collection and tabulation were conducted by Abt-SRBI, Inc. of New York, NY.

The University of Maryland and The Washington Post first teamed up to present the poll in October 2014, focusing on issues related to the Maryland gubernatorial race, and related issues including immigration, taxes, education, gay marriage and healthcare. The second iteration of the poll in February shed light on what Marylanders thought Gov. Larry Hogan and his administration should prioritize considering tax and expenditure issues—namely, education.

The partnership combines the world-class reporting, polling and public engagement resources of The Post with rigorous academic analysis from the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences’ nationally-renowned Department of Government and Politics. The poll is designed to provide academics, students and members of the public with insight into both key races and the issues that matter to Maryland voters.

In addition to its impact as a public education tool, the poll also represents a unique research opportunity for UMD students. Professor Rouse and Associate Professor of Government and Politics Michael Hanmer, research director of CAPC, work with students affiliated with the Center on the design of the poll questions and the analysis of its responses.

The poll is directed by Mr. Craighill and Scott Clement, a polling survey research analyst, for The Post, as well as Professor Hanmer for the University of Maryland.

Published on Mon, Oct 12, 2015 - 2:49PM