Question: If the elections for Senator were being held today, which candidate would you vote for, Democrat Ben Cardin, Republican Michael Steele or another candidate?

Ben Cardin (D) 54%
Michael Steele (R) 39%
Other 1%
Undecided 6%

About this Poll Results are based on telephone interviews with 905 Registered voters in Maryland, aged 18+, conducted September 27-October 1, 2006. For results based on this sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is +/-4 percentage points.

Results for likely voters in Maryland are based on the subsample of 678 survey respondents deemed most likely to vote in the November 2006 Midterm Election, according to a series of questions measuring current voting intentions and past voting behavior. For results based on the total sample of likely voters, one can say with 95% confidence that the margin of sampling error is +/-5 percentage points. Based on past voting history in Maryland, turnout is assumed to be 40% of the voting age population.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.