The Democratic candidate for senate in Maryland is leading her GOP rival despite more than a third of eligible voters not recognizing her name.

A poll published by Gonzales Research & Media Services this week found that Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks has pulled ahead of Republican former Governor Larry Hogan by five points — 46% to 41%.

Alsobrooks' current success in the polls comes as a surprise, given the Democratic candidate's continued struggles with low name recognition among voters.

The Gonzales poll found that approximately 34% of registered voters do not recognize Alsobrooks by name. This includes approximately 33% of independents who do not recognize Alsobrooks, as well as 17% of eligible voters registered with the Democratic Party.

NEW POLL REVEALS REPUBLICAN SENATE CANDIDATE DEADLOCKED WITH DEM IN CRUCIAL DEEP BLUE STATE

Angela Alsobrooks

Maryland Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and Prince George's County Executive Angela Alsobrooks speaks at a campaign event on Gun Violence Awareness Day at Kentland Community Center in Landover, Maryland. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Notably, 72% of total eligible voters told the pollster that they did not recognize the Democratic candidate.

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The winner of the November election will succeed Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin, who is retiring this year after serving nearly two decades in the Senate and nearly six decades as a state and then federal lawmaker.

With Democrats trying to protect their fragile Senate majority, Hogan's late entry into the race in February gave them an unexpected headache in a state previously considered safe territory. 

Larry Hogan wins GOP Senate nomination in Maryland

Former two-term Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland celebrates his victory in the 2024 Maryland Republican Senate primary, in Annapolis, Maryland. (Fox News - Paul Steinhauser)

Hogan left the governor's office at the beginning of 2023 with very positive approval and favorable ratings.

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A vocal Republican critic of former President Trump who previously flirted with a 2024 White House run, Hogan has repeatedly said that he will not vote for the former president in November's election. In the spring, he stood out from most other Republicans for publicly calling for the guilty verdicts in Trump's criminal trial to be respected.

The Gonzales Research & Media Services poll was conducted from Aug. 24 to Aug. 30 and surveyed 820 self-described likely voters via phone interviews.

Fox News Digital's Paul Steinhauser contributed to this report.