Gov. Larry Hogan continues to have a high approval rating, and leads the top Democratic candidates in head-to-head-match ups.

However, in head-to-head match ups with Prince George's County Executive Rushern Baker, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz and former NAACP President Ben Jealous, Hogan draws less than 50 percent of the vote.

Those are the conclusions of a new Gonzales Research poll on Maryland politics.

The poll finds the Republican Hogan's approval rating is at 71 percent, 21 percent disapprove, and 8 percent have no opinion.

Pollster Patrick Gonzales says Hogan's support among Democrats, who outnumber Republican in voter registration, stands at 61-percent. His approval rating among Republicans is 86 percent and 78 percent with independent voters.

Gonzales asked voters their preference over Hogan with the top three candidates preferred by Democratic voters, based on a poll released on Wednesday.

Baker received 24 percent support in the poll of Democratic voters released Wednesday.

Given a preference 47 percent picked Hogan, 37 percent picked Baker and 16 percent were undecided.

Kamenetz and Jealous each received 14 percent support in Wednesday's poll of Democrats.

In head to head matchups, Hogan leads Kamenetz 48 percent to 34 percent with the rest undecided, and Hogan leads Jealous 49 percent to 36 percent with the rest undecided.

There are eight announced or official Democratic candidates for governor, and Gonzales' poll found one third of Democratic voters undecided.

While Hogan's approval rating among Democrats is 61 percent, in each of the head-to-head match ups with Democratic candidates Hogan only receives about 25 percent among Democrats, specifically 24 percent in the match up with Baker, 26 percent in the match up with Kamenetz and 25 percent in the matchup with Jealous.

Gonzales says, in order for Hogan to beat a Democrat in November he must earn at least 30 percent of the vote among Democrats.

Gonzales calls Hogan "well positioned" for the November election, but tells WBAL NewsRadio 1090 that "in today's political climate, it's very difficult for Republicans to get Democrats to vote for them."

Gonzales says that is due in part to President Trump.

The poll finds Trump has a 36 percent approval rating in Maryland, with 60 percent of voters disapproval of the job he is doing.

As for the tax bill, Trump signed into law last month, 33 percent favor it, 55 percent oppose it.

The strongest support for the tax bill is among Republicans with 72 percent favoring the bill. The strongest opposition is among Democrats, where 75 percent oppose it.

The poll of 823 likely voters was conducted by landline and cellular telephone over a 10 day period ending last Friday, January 5.

The poll has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 3.5 percent.

Patrick Gonzales will join C-4 this Thursday morning at 11:05 a.m. on WBAL NewsRadio 1090.