Rep. Donna Edwards appears to be in solid shape to win re-election four and a half months before the Maryland Democratic primary, according to an internal poll from her campaign.
 
Ever since former Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn Ivey (D) announced his challenge to Edwards earlier this month, Maryland political players have been speculating about the degree of electoral trouble the Congresswoman is in.

The poll done by Lake Research Partners showed Edwards at 52 percent and Ivey taking just 16 percent in the initial ballot test of the Democratic primary. Anne Arundel County Councilman Jamie Benoit, who is considering a bid, got 3 percent.
 
The survey showed Edwards with higher name identification and higher favorability ratings than Ivey and Benoit. In Prince George’s County, which is the political base for both Edwards and Ivey, 83 percent of respondents had a favorable view of the Congresswoman while 60 percent said they viewed Ivey favorably.

“Conventional wisdom suggests this race will be won or lost in the battleground of Prince George’s County, and Edwards is virtually unbeatable there,” the pollsters wrote in a memo. “Voters hold her in very high regard, and Edwards translates her personal appeal and strong job performance ratings into robust ballot strength.”

Ivey campaign spokesman Ramon Korionoff said that their campaign has its own poll in progress and said there was “a groundswell of support” from district voters.

“Every poll has its nuances, and we certainly believe that the voters of the 4th Congressional district will have their opportunity to choose among the candidates, and as we progress in this campaign, there will be ups and downs,” Korionoff added. “And there will be news flashes of various sorts, and this is the first salvo.”

Both politicians had very low unfavorable ratings, but that is likely to change before the April 3 primary. The messaging war, including any paid political advertising, has yet to even engage in the race.

The poll of 400 likely primary voters, which was obtained by Roll Call, was conducted Nov. 10 to Sunday and had a margin of error of 4.9 points. Roll Call rates the 4th district race as Safe Democratic.