Kratovil-sponsored poll shows Harris leading by nine points in CD-1

State Sen. Andy Harris (R-Cockeysville) leads State's Attorney Frank Kratovil (D-Stevensville) by nine points in Maryland's 1st Congressional District, according to a new survey conducted by the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group for the Kratovil campaign.

Harris was favored by 43 percent of respondents, while Kratovil garnered 34 percent, with 23 percent undecided.

Kratovil, however, led by a margin of 45-38 among the 25 percent of respondents who recognized the candidate's names.

The study surveyed 400 likely voters from April 23-24 and comes with a 5-point margin of error.

"I was particularly pleased with the results," Erik Gulbrandsen, Kratovil's communications director, told PolitickerMD.com.

Gulbrandsen cited the campaign's lead among voters who could identify the candidates, saying they were individuals who were "probably informed through outreach efforts."

"Once we are able to reach everybody-they like Frank," Gulbrandsen said.

He said the small margin of respondents who recognized the candidates was "partly to be expected this early in the campaign."

Expressing confidence in the ability of the campaign to reach more voters, Gulbrandsen said, "Frank didn't run any TV ads during the primary," adding, "Harris was all over the (television airwaves) during the primary."

Meanwhile, the Harris campaign did not seem concerned.

"The poll didn't provide a lot of information, like the order of the questions," campaign manager Chris Meekins said, adding, "Internal polls can be skewed one way or the other."

He also said "third party independent polls" are more significant than internal polls, referencing a Republican primary poll in mid-December that showed Harris trailing incumbent Rep. Wayne Gilchrest and state Sen. E.J. Pipkin; Harris eventually won by ten points.

That poll was conducted by the Pipkin campaign.