John Matthews
WMAL.com
MARYLAND — (WMAL) He’s a Republican leader in a Democrat state, but Larry Hogan just rolls on.
A new Washington Post/University of Maryland poll puts Hogan’s popularity at 71 percent – an all-time high for the Maryland governor.
Todd Eberly, Political Science Professor at St. Mary’s College, says Hogan knows how to push the right buttons to stay popular with the electorate, choosing to champion topics that will play well with voters, such as requiring schools to open after Labor Day, and avoiding Red State topics that wouldn’t play well, such as gun control.
“He has a really good understanding for what the electorate wants, but I think more important, he has a pretty good feel for what the public doesn’t want,” Eberly said.
Hogan’s popularity does not appear to translate directly to votes, however. The poll shows just 46 percent of Marylanders say they would vote for Hogan for re-election, but without any strong Democrats rising as of now to challenge Hogan, he still enjoys a lead over a generic Democrat challenger.
“Bob Ehrlich of course had a 55 percent approval rating when he lost his re-election bid,” Eberly said. “If Hogan goes in with, you know, 65 or maybe a 70 percent approval rating, that’s probably enough to get him across the finish line.”
Hogan is still a political outlier in his own state, according to Eberly, who says Democrats turn out in large numbers in General election years. Eberly expects Hillary Clinton and Chris Van Hollen to win easily in the races for President and U.S. Senate, respectively.
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