Despite a nasty primary battle on Maryland's shore, State Senator Andy Harris looks like a safe bet to hold the seat for Republicans, a new poll conducted for the National Republican Congressional Committee shows. Harris, who defeated incumbent Republican Wayne Gilchrest by a wide margin on Tuesday, now turns his attention to Queen Anne County State's Attorney Frank Kratovil, who he will face in the general election in November.

The poll, conducted by Oregon- and Washington, D.C.-based Moore Information, was conducted 1/15-16 among 300 likely voters, for a margin of error of 6%. Harris and Kratovil were tested, alongside ballot matchups for a generic Republican and a generic Democrat.

General Election Matchup
Harris 37
Kratovil 22

Generic Ballot Matchup
Generic GOP 46
Generic Dem 31

The poll almost certainly included matchups between Kratovil and Gilchrest, along with State Senator E.J. Pipkin, another Republican who finished a distant third in the primary, given that it was taken almost a month before Marylanders headed to the ballot box.

Thanks to redistricting, several Maryland seats slightly favor Democrats while two others -- those held by Gilchrest and Rep. Roscoe Bartlett -- have heavy concentrations of Republicans lumped together. That means Democrats hold more seats, but that when one of the GOP-heavy seats comes open, the opposite party has only a slight chance to take it.

As a measure of the seat's Republican lean, the poll found that former Governor Bob Ehrlich was seen favorably by 66% of district residents, as opposed to the 23% who view him unfavorably. Incumbent Governor Martin O'Malley, by contrast, was seen favorably by just 30% of residents, along with the 54% who view him unfavorably. O'Malley handily beat Ehrlich in 2006.

Still, Republicans have to move quickly to coalesce behind Harris. The nasty tone of the primary has led to hard feelings, as Gilchrest has not called Harris to congratulate him on his win.