An Oct. 29 article misspelled the name of Hari Sevugan, communications director for the Maryland gubernatorial campaign of Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D).
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Poll Puts Maryland Democrats In the Lead
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"Michael Steele's attempts to hide his support for the Bush agenda have failed," said Oren Shur, Cardin's spokesman.
But one aspect of Steele's folksy television ads has resonated with voters: He is considered by twice as many voters to have the more appealing personality.
Closing the Gap
The poll's depiction of where the race stood between last Sunday and Thursday presents a hefty burden for the two Republican candidates, said Paul S. Herrnson, a political science professor at the University of Maryland, College Park.
"It's really hard for a candidate to close a double-digit lead in two weeks, particularly if the candidates are already very well known," Herrnson said.
Still, some variables could change the dynamics during the closing weeks. The biggest is turnout. The two Republicans could close the gap if fear about the validity of the state's voting system depresses turnout, or if African Americans -- the most Democratic of voting groups -- aren't enthusiastic about the race.
The Post poll showed that based upon answers to questions such as certainty to vote, enthusiasm about the candidates and interest in the races, about 25 percent of the "likely voters" would be African American.
That is numerically higher than past exit polls have shown: In the past seven elections for president, Senate and governor, the estimate of black voters ranged from 19 percent to 24 percent. But even if the black turnout is as low as it was in the 2002 election -- 22 percent, according to exit polls -- Cardin and O'Malley would still hold leads, although they would be narrower.
Another factor is the financial advantage Ehrlich apparently holds, according to the most recent financial statements the gubernatorial candidates have submitted. As of last week, O'Malley had $600,000, and Ehrlich had more than $2 million left to spend during the campaign's closing days.
And one sign of the Ehrlich campaign's get-out-the-vote effort is the record number of absentee ballots that have been requested. Almost as many have been requested by Republicans as Democrats, despite the huge registration differences.
Polling director Jon Cohen and database editor Dan Keating contributed to this report.
