Maryland voters strongly favor the nationwide presidential frontrunners, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, but about a third of likely primary voters of both parties remain undecided, according to a recent statewide phone survey.
Clinton, meanwhile, is tied with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama among the state's black voters, with each winning support from about a third of those polled. Blacks make up about 28 percent of state residents, forming a potentially powerful voting bloc for Democratic candidates.
With four months until the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary launch the voting season, support for the candidates is fluid, according to pollster Steve Raabe, president of OpinionWorks, the Annapolis firm that conducted the phone survey from Aug. 24-26.
"The preceding states will dramatically impact the way Maryland ultimately votes," Raabe said.
Residents of Maryland, Washington and Virginia will cast ballots in a Feb. 12 primary, a week after the Super Tuesday contests that are expected to produce the eventual nominees. So Maryland's vote is not likely to change the outcome of the contest.
The OpinionWorks poll shows Clinton, supported by Gov. Martin O'Malley, ahead of the Democratic pack, with 32 percent of the vote, compared with Obama's 18 percent, and 10 percent for former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
The other Democratic candidates - Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr., New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Ohio Rep. Dennis J. Kucinich - register in the low single digits. Connecticut Sen. Christopher J. Dodd was not included in the poll. About 32 percent of those surveyed said they were unsure whom they would support.
Giuliani, who is backed by former Maryland Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., holds a firm lead among Maryland Republicans, with 32 percent supporting his candidacy. Arizona Sen. John McCain is supported by 13 percent of likely primary voters, former Tennessee senator and actor Fred Thompson is the pick of 12 percent, and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is at 8 percent.
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas are in the low single digits. Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo was included in the poll but received less than 1 percent. About 29 percent of Republican primary voters are undecided.
