Michigan Gov’s Massive Lead Over Republican Candidates Spells Trouble for State GOP

Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer led all her Republican challengers by large margins in head-to-head matchups, according to a Detroit News/WDIV-TV poll.

Whitmer led radio personality Tudor Dixon, the GOP frontrunner, by a margin of 10 points, and led businessman Ryan Kelley, by a margin of eight points, a new poll showed. The Michigan GOP faces an uphill battle to win the governor’s mansion after the state canvassing board disqualified former Detroit Police Chief James Craig and businessman Perry Johnson, who were both frontrunners in the race, as well as three other GOP candidates for ballot petitions containing forged signatures.

The survey conducted by Glengariff Group, Inc. on July 5-8, found that most voters had not heard of Dixon (68%) or Kelley (50%), who faces criminal charges related to the Department of Justice’s Jan. 6 probe.

Republicans had high hopes for beating Democratic incumbent Gretchen Whitmer in 2022.

A recent survey shows the Michigan governor musters well over a majority in all hypothetical general election matchups.https://t.co/tt2C6KybdO

— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) July 5, 2022

In a head-to-head race against the other GOP candidates, Whitmer was up on business owner Kevin Rinke by a margin of 12 points, chiropractor Garrett Soldano by a margin of 14 points and pastor Ralph Rebandt by 15 points.

Dixon led the pack with 26% of the vote, followed by Kelley with 15%, Rinke with 13%,  Soldano with 12% and Rebandt with 1% according to a Mitchell Research poll.

Almost 55% of Michigan voters approved of Whitmer’s job performance, adding to the challenge facing the Michigan GOP, the poll showed.

Michigan Freedom Fund director Tory Sachs said the poll did not show the complete picture behind the election, citing a survey performed by The Detroit News during the 2018 midterm race between U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow and John James, which predicted James would lose by 20 points. In 2018, Stabenow won 52% of the vote compared to James’ 45%.

Sachs noted that Michigan voters do not begin finalizing their choices until September or October.

The poll sampled 600 voters contacted via telephone. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.

Tudor Dixon and Ryan Kelley’s campaign did not respond immediately to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.