It’s not exactly news that Senator Barack Obama is leading Senator John McCain in Maryland. But his margin is growing so rapidly that it could culminate in a historic blowout.
According to Real Clear Politics, there have been three presidential polls in Maryland this summer.
On 8/18/08, Rasmussen polled 500 likely voters who gave a 10-point edge (53-43) to Obama.
On 8/29/08-9/5/08, Gonzalez Research polled 833 likely voters who gave a 14-point edge (52-38) to Obama.
And on 9/20/08, Rasmussen polled 500 likely voters who gave a 23-point edge (60-37) to Obama.
Now sure, there’s over a month to go in this campaign and Maryland has been a consistently Democratic state for a long time. But Obama’s lead is approaching Biblical proportions. Consider the margins by which Democratic candidates won the last four presidential elections in Maryland:
1992: Bill Clinton 50%, George H.W. Bush 36%, Ross Perot 14% – Margin of 14 points
1996: Bill Clinton 54%, Bob Dole 38%, Ross Perot 7% – Margin of 16 points
2000: Al Gore 57%, George W. Bush 40% – Margin of 17 points
2004: John Kerry 56%, George W. Bush 43% – Margin of 13 points
Is Obama going to break a record here? And if he does, what does that say about the state of Maryland’s GOP?