RadioOnFire.com - A new poll finds the Democratic race for Governor is wide open.
The Goucher College poll of 324 likely Democratic primary voters finds no clear front runner.
Poll Director Mileah Kromer says 44 percent of those Democrats don't know who they will support.
“We have had a summer full of campaigning, but I think our poll certainly reflects that.”
Eight candidates have either announced their campaigns or filed to get on the ballot.
Of the announced candidates, Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker gets the most support at 13-percent.
In second place, at 11 percent, former Attorney General Doug Gansler. He ran for Governor in 2014, but last week said he would not run next year.
Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz received 8 percent, and is tied for third with Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the wife of Congressman Elijah Cummings.
She is considering a run for governor, but has not announced her candidacy.
Five other candidates who have launched campaigns are further back in the poll.
Former NAACP President Ben Jealous received 6 percent in the poll, while Montgomery County State Senator Rich Madaleno and attorney Jim Shea each received 2 percent.
Entrepreneur and former Hillary Clinton aide Alec Ross and former Michelle Obama advisor Krish Vignarajah each received 1 percent.
Two percent said they would choose another candidate. One percent said they would not vote while, another one percent refused to answer.
Educator and activist Ralph Jaffe is the only Democrat to formally file to get on the Democratic Primary ballot.
Among a list of nine candidates, the poll found 28 percent of Democrats said they would consider voting for Gansler, compared to 21 percent for Baker, 17 percent for Kamenetz and 14 percent for Jealous.
As for the type of candidate Democrats hope to nominate to challenge Republican Governor Larry Hogan, 55 percent said they hopes to nominate a more progressive candidate. That’s compared to 34 percent who hope to nominate a more moderate candidate, and 8 percent hope for a more conservative candidate.
The poll found 26 percent said education was the most important issue when considering a candidate for governor, while 21 percent said the economy and jobs was the most important issue. Racial and social justice issues was the most important issue for 16 percent of the Democrats surveyed while health care was the most important issue for 15 percent.
The environment was the most important issue for 7 percent of Democrats. Taxes were most important for 6 percent while transportation was most important for 5 percent.
The poll was conducted by telephone over a five day period ending September 18. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 5.4 percent.
The primary is on June 26.
Source WBAL
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