Poll: Maryland's GOP Governor trails both Dem rivals w/ 1 year to go

WBAL: BALTIMORE -- A new poll shows Gov. Robert Ehrlich is behind his two chief rivals in the race for governor with about a year to go before the 2006 election. Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley leads Ehrlich by 15 percentage points, 48 percent to 33 percent, according to a poll conducted for The (Baltimore) Sun by the independent, nonpartisan firm Potomac Inc. Montgomery County Executive Douglas Duncan has a 5 percentage point lead on the governor but has gained little ground on the mayor in the weeks after the two Democrats' formal entry into the governor's race. In a primary matchup, O'Malley leads Duncan, 42 percent to 23 percent, a 19-point spread that has barely budged despite the executive's high-profile campaign announcement and statewide tours. In an April Sun poll, O'Malley had a 20-point edge on Duncan.