Democrat Wes Moore has a 32-point lead over GOP challenger Dan Cox in the Maryland governor's race: poll

• Democrat Wes Moore has a hefty lead over GOP state Del. Dan Cox in the Maryland governor's race, per a new poll.
• Per the Washington Post-University of Maryland poll, Moore lead Cox 60%-28% among registered voters.

Democratic newcomer Wes Moore has a massive 32-percentage point lead over his challenger, Republican state Del. Dan Cox, in the Maryland governor's race as the contest heads into its final stretch, according to a newly-released Washington Post-University of Maryland poll.

The survey showed Moore with a 60%-28% edge over Cox; nine percent of respondents were undecided.

The results showed that 86% of Democrats backed Moore, with only 3% crossing over to support Cox.

However, Cox earned a lower share of support among Republicans (71%) — not nearly enough for a GOP candidate to come close to winning in the solidly Democratic state. Moore, on the other hand, has the support of 22% of Republicans.

Moore's crossover support with Republicans is similar to two-term GOP Gov. Larry Hogan's support among a substantial bloc of Democrats, which allowed the governor to win in 2014 and 2018 despite the Democratic strength in most other statewide races.

Each candidate attracted the support of 38% of Independents. Yet, there is still time for both candidates to persuade this voting bloc, with 16% stating that they were undecided.

Moore, an author and former nonprofit executive, captured his party's nomination in a highly-competitive July multicandidate Democratic primary by focusing on kitchen-table economic issues and offering himself as a champion of issues including education reform, the environment, and improvements in public safety.

If elected, Moore would be Maryland's first Black governor.

Cox, a GOP state lawmaker from Frederick County who entered the race largely because of the state's COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, is backed by former President Donald Trump.

The Washington Post-University of Maryland polled 810 registered voters from September 22 through 27; the survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.