Normington Petts & Associates took the poll from likely Democratic Primary voters in May and December of this year. The number of respondents was not disclosed. These voters had an 85% favorability rating of the President and 70% for Governor O'Malley.
When asked about prospective Gubernatorial Candidates, the results were stark. Here is how the candidates broke down for favorability (with name recognition in parenthesis):
- Peter Franchot 36% (54%)
- Anthony Brown 35% (52%)
- Doug Gansler 31% (44%)
- Ken Ulman 15% (25%)
Although 53% of respondents remain undecided on the current slate of candidates, for those that have made up their mind, voters lean heavily towards Brown. If the race were held today, with all four candidates in the race, the projected results would be:
- Brown 22%
- Franchot 13%
- Gansler 8%
- Ulman 4%
It is difficult to get a good read on this race, other than to note that Anthony Brown will be a formidable candidate through the primary. Another constant is that Ken Ulman has a steep hill to climb in order to even get himself in the conversation for Governor, much less beat out the Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General. It can be presumed that Team Ulman has their own set of polls that show an avenue for victory, however narrow that may be, but it isn't showing up in the hard numbers. Growth Tier Vetoes and Soda Bans may be part of that path, and there is a lot of room for growth, so long as there is time to do so. But when well situated candidates like Franchot are bowing out, you have to wonder what Ken is seeing that no one else can.