Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s support from the state’s black residents has more than doubled from 14 to 33 percent since his first run for the office, according to an October poll by The Washington Post.
Hogan’s job approval from black Marylanders also nearly doubled to 60 percent from his first month in office, reported The Washington Post. Hogan’s running mate, current Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, is black and converted to the Republican party in his late 30s.
The poll also found that while 97 percent of black Maryland voters supported Barack Obama in 2012, Hogan’s progressive Democratic opponent Ben Jealous has just 57 percent support among black voters.
Black American voters who support Hogan like that he wants to cut taxes and that he took a tough stance and sent federal troops to Baltimore during a 2015 riot after the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, according to WaPo.
“It speaks volumes to the perception of Larry Hogan — that he’s not a Republican; he’s just Larry Hogan,” former Maryland state Sen. Clarence Mitchell IV, who is black, told WaPo. “He doesn’t govern politically. You may not agree with him, but he does what he thinks should be done.” (RELATED: ‘Vote!’ Chant Erupts During Rabbi Jeffrey Myers’s Speech At Synagogue Shooting Vigil)
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan (R) speaks at the MGM National Harbor Grand Opening Celebration on December 8, 2016 in National Harbor, Maryland. Larry French/Getty Images for MGM National Harbor
The Washington Post-University of Maryland poll talked to 870 Maryland adults from Oct. 4 to 7.
Hogan currently holds a nearly 19-point lead over Jealous, according to a RealClear Politics poll average. That puts him in the same ballpark as Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who holds a 19-point lead over Democratic challenger Lupe Valdez, but Hogan’s advantage is modest compared to Arkansas Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s 35-point lead over Democratic challenger Jared Henderson.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (ID-VT) (C) speaks as former president and CEO of NAACP Ben Jealous (R) looks on during a rally “to fight-back against the Republican war on the working class” February 16, 2017 at Upper Senate Park on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images
Hogan has been Maryland’s governor since 2015, when he took over from a Democratic administration in a state where Democrats significantly outnumber Republicans.
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