POLL: MD Supports Obama, Hogan, Pot & Immigrants (1 Is Not Like The Others) // PLUS: Marylanders on Presidential Race

By Matt Verghese

Below Maryland Juice provides highlights from a new Goucher Poll on the Presidential race, Governor Larry Hogan and a few policy debates. You can see the summary data below. A few quick items of interest:

1. Slim majorities of Marylanders approve of Larry Hogan & Barack Obama's jobs, but many residents don't yet have an opinion on Hogan.
2. Governor Hogan's issue ratings are lower, and he receives his lowest marks on education -- the most important issues facing the state and the only issue where Democrats disapprove 
3. Marylanders support marijuana legalization, and a super-majority of residents support a path to citizenship for undocumented residents.
4. Marylanders disapprove of the job Congress is doing by a whopping 83%.
5. It's early in the Presidential race, but Hillary Clinton tops the polls for Maryland Democrats & Martin O'Malley is scraping the bottom in his own state

Who Would Maryland Democrats Vote for in Presidential Primary?

• Hillary Clinton: 43%
• Joe Biden: 23%
• Bernie Sanders: 17%
• Martin O'Malley: 2%

Who Do Maryland Democrats Think Will Win Nomination?

• Hillary Clinton: 54%
• Joe Biden: 14%
• Bernie Sanders: 8%

Marylanders' Approval of Governor Hogan's Job as Governor:

• Approve: 58%
• Disapprove: 18%
• Don't Know: 23%

Marylanders' Approval of Governor Hogan's Handling of Issues (ranked by importance):

	Approve	Disapprove
Public education	40	33	+7
Taxes	51	29	+22
Economic growth	52	21	+31
Job creation	42	28	+14
Crime	43	32	+11
Transportation	50	29	+21
Environment	43	27	+16

Marylanders' Approval of President Obama's Job as President:

• Approve: 53%
• Disapprove: 38%
• Don't Know: 7%

Marylanders' Approval of Congress' Job:

• Disapprove: 83%
• Approve: 9%
• Don't Know: 7%

Marylanders on Marijuana Legalization:

• Support Legalization: 52%
• Oppose Legalization: 42%

Marylanders on Who Should Decide Marijuana Policy:

• States Should Decide: 64%
• Federal Government Should Decide: 31%

Marylanders on Redistricting:

• Prefer Independent Commission: 73%
• Prefer Redistricting by Electeds: 21%

Marylanders on Starting School After Labor Day:

• Support Starting After Labor Day: 72%
• Oppose Starting After Labor Day: 19%

Marylanders on Undocumented Immigrants:

• Allow Them to Stay In Jobs With Path to Citizenship: 62%
• Make Them Leave Jobs & the USA: 20%
• Allow Them to Stay Temporarly In Jobs Without Path to Citizenship: 13%

Obama Fundraising Mail Highlights Job Growth & Change // Plus, Bumpersticker Indicates Joe Biden Still on Ticket as VP

Maryland Juice just received the following fundraising package from President Barack Obama's re-election campaign. This is one of the first clear "re-election" pieces I have received, and it seems a bit more relevant now that we know how the GOP nominee will be. The three pieces in Obama's solicitation included:

1. A new bumper sticker that is one more sign Obama will be keeping Joe Biden on as Vice President,
2. A graph of job growth before and after Obama took office, and
3. A list of "changes" promised in 2008 that Obama has advanced.

We provide copies of the three pieces below (click to enlarge):

Now, if we could just put some of Obama's other campaign promises back on the radar: ie: stopping U.S. torture/closing Guantanamo, repealing the Patriot Act, aggressive environmental enforcement and ending the failed federal War on Drugs....

Obama VP Swap: O'Malley for Biden in 2012 // Plus, O'Malley's Maryland Socialism

Tea Leaves at store.barackobama.com?

UPDATE: An anonymous O'Malley aide, while denying any knowledge of Obama's plans, surprised Maryland Juice with the following comment: "People who work for the Governor actually take all options seriously. This was brought up at a small staff meeting a few weeks back." On second thought, Biden does seem to be unusually de-emphasized in Obama's merchandise store right now. And on 9/15, yet another update for those who enjoy finding meaning in little details: a reader reports that Gov. O'Malley has been tapped to defend Obama's Jobs Act in a White House press call right now: 

"THE WHITE HOUSE - Office of the Press Secretary: Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, Delaware Governor Jack Markell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter to Hold Conference Call on the Impact of the American Jobs Act."

A few weeks ago, Maryland Juice thought it would be fun to start flagging bits of evidence that may show Governor Martin O'Malley trying to position himself for the 2016 Presidential race. Unexpectedly, we kept noticing mentions of Mr. O'Malley for Vice President.... in 2012. 

Today's Baltimore Sun, for example, included the following letter:

President Obama rarely allows a photo opportunity to pass without using it to make some political point. So one has to wonder what significance to attach to the prominent place in the House of Representatives gallery Gov. Martin O'Malley was given, seated near the First Lady, during the president's speech to the joint session of Congress Thursday.

Could it be that Mr. O'Malley is being considered as a possible Democratic vice presidential choice after the current inept incumbent is dropped from the ticket?....

Maryland Juice decided to launch an investigation into this rumor. But first, here is a screencap of Gov. O'Malley sitting near First Lady Michelle Obama last week. Does this look suspicious to you?