Maryland voters are nearly evenly split
on whether Maryland should become the seventh state to legalize gay
marriage.
Forty-nine percent of Marylanders who
vote regularly oppose a law allowing gay marriage, while 48 percent
support it, according to a survey conducted by the Annapolis-based
Gonzales Research and Marketing Strategies, Inc., The Washington
Post reported.
The issue breaks down along race in
Maryland, with a majority (51%) of white voters in favor of the law
and a majority (59%) of African-Americans opposed.
Previous polls have shown a narrow
majority of Marylanders in favor of marriage equality, including a
January poll conducted by Gonzales.
Governor Martin O'Malley has pledged to
shepherd a gay marriage bill in the upcoming legislative session,
which begins in January. His first public move since announcing his
support in July was appearing in the inaugural
web video for the campaign released on Monday.
A majority (52%) also approve of the
job O'Malley is doing, while 40 percent disapprove. A “fairly
solid” ranking, noted Gonzales.
Gonzales polled 805 registered Maryland
voters by telephone between September 19 – 27.