Here are a few interesting findings from the latest poll by Gonzales Research that have not been widely reported.
1. The Governor’s rebound in approval rating from 37% in March to 45% in September is due almost entirely to Democrats. Their approval for him rose from 48% in March to 59% in September, an 11 point gain. Approval from independents went up by 7 points (39% to 46%), but that is within the poll’s margin of error of 3.5 points.
2. The Governor’s approval ratings vary substantially based on demographics. Men disapprove of his performance by 43%-41%, while women approve by 49%-27%. Whites approve of his performance by 43%-40% while African-Americans approve by 51%-20%. The results for men and whites fall within the margin of error, so the Governor’s net approval rating – currently 45% approval against 35% disapproval – is entirely dependent on women and African-Americans.
3. While the poll finds that slots support went from 54%-38% in favor in January to 49%-43% in favor in September, almost every region of the state still leans towards slots. The Washington suburbs, defined as Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties, are the sole exception with 42% supporting slots vs. 50% against.
That could make the sample ballots released by the the two counties’ Democratic Central Committees crucially important to the upcoming slots referendum. The Prince George’s Central Committee voted to remain neutral. The Montgomery Central Committee will vote on a slots recommendation on September 24.
Tomorrow, MPW guest blogger and Montgomery Central Committee member Marc Korman will detail exactly how their recommendation voting process works.