An internal poll conducted for Rep. Frank Kratovil (D) shows that the freshman goes into his first re-election contest facing an electorate that identifies more with the Republican Party but likes him anyway.

The poll conducted June 15-16 by the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group sampled the opinions of 403 likely voters in the 1st district. It found Kratovil was favored by 44 percent of those surveyed, while state Sen. Andy Harris (R) was favored by 39 percent, with 17 percent undecided.

When the pollsters asked about party preference, 39 percent chose Republican and 32 percent chose Democratic. The survey had a 5-point margin of error.

The district has historically favored the GOP, with voters overwhelmingly choosing Arizona Sen. John McCain for president in 2008 and sending moderate Republican Wayne Gilchrest to Congress for nine terms.