Poll Gives Kerry Lead In Md.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- A new poll conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research, in association with News4, shows Sen. John Kerry with a commanding lead going into Maryland's Tuesday primary.

The poll gives Kerry a 3-to-1 advantage over John Edwards going into the primary. News4's Chris Gordon talked to Kerry's campaign managers, who said they're pleased with the results, but they're not taking anything for granted.

Edwards' campaign managers point out that their candidate has defied polls in several primaries with strong finishes.

The Mason-Dixon Poll also shows President George W. Bush would lose to Kerry or to Edwards if the race were held today.

Bush supporters point out that the media has been filled with news about the Democratic primaries. Once the president begins campaigning, they say we'll get a more realistic view of his support.

The complete poll results are listed below. It was conducted from Feb. 23 to Feb. 25. For the poll, 625 registered voters across Maryland were interviewed by telephone. All said that they vote regularly in state elections.

The margin of error is no more than plus or minus 4 percentage points.

STATEWIDE VOTERS: Do you recognize the candidate, and do you have a favorable, unfavorable or neutral opinion of the candidate?
Candidate	Recognize Favorable	Recognize Unfavorable	Recognize Neutral	Don't Recognize
John Kerry	46%	24%	26%	4%
George W. Bush	42%	40%	18%	-
John Edwards	40%	19%	32%	9%
Ralph Nader	19%	44%	30%	7%

LIKELY DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS: Do you recognize the candidate, and do you have a favorable, unfavorable or neutral opinion of the candidate?
Candidate	Recognize Favorable	Recognize Unfavorable	Recognize Neutral	Don't Recognize
John Kerry	66%	9%	23%	2%
John Edwards	49%	12%	32%	7%

LIKELY DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS: If the 2004 Democratic primary election for President were held today, which one of the following candidates would get your vote?
Candidate	Statewide	Men	Women	White	Blacks
John Kerry	62%	65%	60%	61%	64%
John Edwards	20%	22%	19%	21%	16%
Al Sharpton	3%	4%	2%	2%	5%
Dennis Kucinich	1%	1%	1%	2%	-
Other (NOT READ)	1%	1%	1%	1%	1%
Undecided (NOT READ)	13%	7%	17%	13%	14%

If the 2004 presidential election were held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were John Kerry, the Democrat, George W. Bush, the Republican, and Ralph Nader, an independent?
By Region	Kerry	Bush	Nader	Undecided
Statewide	47%	38%	3%	12%
Eastern Shore/So. MD	34%	53%	1%	12%
Baltimore County	44%	37%	3%	16%
Baltimore City	73%	12%	2%	13%
Central Maryland Suburbs	32%	49%	3%	16%
Prince George's County	67%	22%	4%	7%
Montgomery County	55%	33%	4%	9%
Western Maryland	28%	56%	2%	14%
By Gender	Kerry	Bush	Nader	Undecided
Men	42%	45%	3%	10%
Women	51%	31%	3%	15%
By Race	Kerry	Bush	Nader	Undecided
White	34%	49%	3%	13%
Black	84%	5%	1%	10%
By Party Affiliation	Kerry	Bush	Nader	Undecided
Democrats	70%	13%	4%	13%
Republicans	8%	81%	1%	10%
Independents	40%	41%	3%	16%

If the 2004 presidential election were held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were John Edwards, the Democrat, George W. Bush, the Republican, and Ralph Nader, an independent?
By Region	Edwards	Bush	Nader	Undecided
Statewide	44%	39%	5%	12%
By Gender	Edwards	Bush	Nader	Undecided
Men	39%	45%	7%	9%
Women	49%	33%	3%	15%
By Party Affiliation	Edwards	Bush	Nader	Undecided
Democrats	65%	12%	7%	16%
Republicans	9%	82%	1%	8%
Independents	39%	41%	4%	16%