Maryland 1 House race Poll: Freshman Dem leads in GOP leaning district

[WI_DEM]

SALISBURY -- A new survey from the Frank Kratovil campaign shows the freshman congressman leading his GOP opponent, Andy Harris, by 6 percentage points.

The poll gives Kratovil a 45 percent to 39 percent edge over Harris as the two gear up for a Nov. 2 rematch of their heated 2008 campaign. Another 16 percent of voters were undecided or would vote for another candidate, according to the poll.

For Kratovil's survey, the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group interviewed 400 likely voters in the 1st District on Sept. 12 and 13. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. The Washington-based group did a similar survey in June, which found Kratovil had a 42 percent to 37 percent edge over Harris, with 21 percent of voters undecided.

"Congressman Kratovil's strong showing in the trial heat is due in large measure to his surprising receptivity among the district's registered Republicans," reads the memo summarizing the poll's results. "Our survey shows party self-identification at 43 percent Republican and 32 percent Democrat."

The memo states that Kratovil has a nearly 2-to-1 advantage among Independents and received 21 percent of the Republican vote to Harris' 65 percent of the Republican vote.

http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20100917/NEWS01/9170301

Kratovil beat Harris by fewer than 3,000 votes in 2008 and is widely viewed by political analysts to be one of the most vulnerable Democrats in the country. Heading into the Nov. 2 election, Kratovil has $1.3 million in his war chest compared to Harris' $944,000, according to financial reports each submitted to the Federal Elections Commission on Aug. 25.

[Cognitive_Resonance]

1. Excellent. Kratovil was widely described as a goner. Glad to see there's a Narrative Breach. nt

[DrToast]

2. It seems like we're doing much better in inidivdual polls compared to the generic ballot.

I guess when you put an actual face on the election, things change.

[Cha]

3. Great news, WI DEM..

Thank you.

[AnnieBW]

4. Kratovil was the guy who found the noose outside of his office

during the HCR debates last year. I know that he's a Blue Dog, but he's a Dem and a good one. Finding a noose outside of your office would tend to make someone a little more hesitant to be a full-blown liberal.