Obama Gets Solid Marks Among Maryland Voters

Although his popularity has slipped nationally, President Obama received solid approval ratings in a new poll of Maryland voters.

Fifty-eight percent of Free State voters said they approve of the job the Democratic president is doing, while 31 percent disapproved and 11 percent had no opinion, the poll by Gonzales Marketing & Research found.

By way of comparison, a smaller number -- 48 percent -- approved of the job performance of Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley. Thirty-seven percent disapproved of the Democratic governor's performance and 15 percent had no opinion.

Obama's numbers diverge sharply along both party and racial lines. Seventy-five percent of Democrats approve of the president's job performance, compared to 57 percent of independents and 29 percent of Republicans.

Meanwhile, 83 percent of African American voters approve of Obama's job performance, compared with 50 percent of white voters.

Obama got lower marks on health-care reform. Overall, 46 percent of voters said they approve of his handling of health-care policy, with 42 percent saying they disapprove and 12 percent offering no response.

Maryland voters also split over the wisdom of creating a public health insurance option, with 43 percent favoring the concept, 40 percent opposing it and 17 percent offering no opinion.

The Gonzales poll of 833 registered Maryland voters was conducted Sept. 8 to 17 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. Margins of error are higher for subgroups, including party breakdowns.

-- John Wagner