Governor Martin O’Malley and former Governor Bob Ehrlich are neck and neck.
Governor O’Malley is slightly ahead of Ehrlich 45 to 42%.

Marylanders have mixed opinions about both candidates. 42% of voters approve of
O’Malley, 43% disapprove. Ehrlich faces similar numbers 39% of voters have favorable
opinions and 39% have unfavorable opinions. More voters are uncertain about their
opinion of Ehrlich, 22% of voters have yet to form an opinion of the former governor.

Ehrlich has stronger support amongst Republicans than O’Malley does with Democrats.
77% of Republicans have a favorable opinion of Ehrlich in contrast to the 60% of
Democrats that have a favorable opinion of O’Malley. In the horse race 87% of
Republicans support the former Governor while only 66% of Democrats support the
current Governor. Republicans are united for Ehrlich and against O’Malley, while the
Democrats are more fractured in their support.

In such a close race the undecided voters will play an important role. 12% of Maryland
voters have yet to choose sides.

“The race is close. But with the clear support of his Republican base Ehrlich is off to a
strong start,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “Most of the
undecided voters are Democrats, gaining their support will be key to O’Malley’s
success.”

PPP surveyed 569 Maryland voters from July 10th-12th. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 4.1%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.

If you would like an interview regarding this release, please contact Dean Debnam at
(888) 621-6988 or 919-880-4888.