Hogan struggles to break through in Democratic stronghold despite popularity – Washington Examiner

Maryland Senate candidate and former Gov. Larry Hogan is trailing Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks despite drawing a higher approval rating, according to a new poll.

The poll was conducted by Public Policy Polling, which has a Democratic lean, surveying 635 Maryland voters on June 19 and 20 with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

Alsobrooks leads Hogan 48% to 40% in a head-to-head matchup, while Hogan has a 50% favorability rating to his opponent’s 43%. The poll is the first since the candidates won their primaries in May. Alsobrooks led by 10 points in early May, but Hogan led by 18 in an April poll.

Hogan has sought to distance himself from former President Donald Trump in an effort to court Democrats in the state, who vastly outnumber Republicans. While it has worked to some extent — he received 17% Democratic support in a head-to-head matchup with Alsobrooks — he still hasn’t garnered the support needed to win.

Some of the missing support appears to lie with Republicans, 17% of whom are unsure whether they will choose Hogan or Alsobrooks, likely because of Hogan’s disdain for Trump when Maryland Republicans approve of Trump at a 75% margin, with 17% disapproving and 8% unsure.

The former president recently endorsed Hogan, but Hogan said he has “no interest in it.“

There were questions about whether Hogan could court pro-Trump Republicans after primary challenger and staunch Trump supporter Robin Ficker racked up 27.8% of the vote in the GOP primary. Despite having considerable name recognition in the state, Hogan only garnered about 64% of the Republican vote. Meanwhile, only 7% of Democrats are unsure, with 19% of independents still deciding.

In good news for Hogan, he does have decisive support among independents compared to Alsobrooks, 53% to 27%.

Alsobrooks faces some lack of name recognition, as 41% of voters are unsure whether they approve of her or not, while Hogan only has 18% undecided. The county executive has never held any other statewide office, with her political career contained to Prince George’s County, unlike Hogan, who was governor for eight years.

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The former Maryland governor’s race will serve as a litmus test for how successful centrist Republicans can be even if they go against certain party issues and leaders, such as Hogan’s abortion-rights stance and his rejection of Trump.

Hogan recently released his first attack ad against Alsobrooks, a seemingly needed move as he attempts to make up ground in Maryland.