Maryland Republicans would remain loyal to President Trump in the presidential primaries if he were up against Gov. Larry Hogan, a new poll shows.
Hogan, the state’s first two-term Republican governor in over 60 years, was re-elected by a wide margin in November, and has largely held onto high approval ratings throughout his time in office.
But the poll — conducted by Gonzales Research & Media Services between April 29 and May 4 — showed that although more than three quarters of the state’s GOP voters approve of the job Hogan is doing, only 24 percent of them would vote for him over Trump.
Trump’s approval with Maryland Republicans is about the same as Hogan’s, according to the poll. They received 78 and 77 percent, respectively.
Hogan made headlines in April with a trip to New Hampshire, which hosts the first primary in the country. But he told reporters that although he’s “strongly considering” a presidential bid, he wouldn’t make any decisions until at least the fall.
Hogan’s decisive victory against Democrat Ben Jealous in 2018 — in a decidedly blue state where Trump’s overall approval rating is 39 percent — places him in a group of potential Republican Trump challengers. Trump’s only primary opponent thus far is former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld.
Meanwhile, nearly two dozen Democrats have announced their candidacy. Though neither is leading the pack, there are two candidates with Maryland roots — California Rep. Eric Swalwell, a University of Maryland alumnus, and John Delaney, a former Maryland Congressman.
Swalwell recently qualified for the Democratic National Committee’s first debate after receiving sufficiently high polling numbers — at least 1 percent in three different polls.
