U.S. Rep. John James (R-Shelby Township) is the most popular GOP gubernatorial pick for 2026 and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is the most popular Democratic gubernatorial pick in a recent poll conducted by Mitchell Research and Communications.
James pulled 28 percent and 2022 Republican gubernatorial nominee Tudor Dixon earned 27 percent in the poll, with 2022 candidate Kevin RINKE earning three percent and Tom Leonard and Sen. Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton) both getting zero percent for Republicans.
Buttigieg got 38 percent support from those polled, with second place being Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson at 18 percent. The rest of the results included Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (three percent), Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson (two percent), Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II (two percent), and Sen. Mallory McMorrow (D-Royal Oak) (one percent).
Technically, “not sure” won the GOP question and took second place in the Dem question, with 41 percent and 36 percent, respectively.
In a two-way race, former President Donald Trump polls at 49 percent compared to Vice President Kamala HARRIS’ 48 percent, but the two are tied at 47 percent on an eight-way question.
When the question mentions that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has endorsed Trump, he polls at 52 percent compared to Harris’ 44 percent in the eight-way question.
The poll was conducted on Monday, Sept. 30 of 709 likely voters and had a margin of error of (+/-) 3.68 percent.
Harris Locked In Dead Heat; Slotkin Up 5
Michigan’s presidential race in Michigan remains a dead heat while Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-Holly) continues to lead Republican Mike Rogers in the U.S. Senate race by 5 points, 49 to 44 percent, according to a Sept. 30 MIRS-Michigan News Source survey released Thursday morning.
Of the 709 voters polled, former Republican President Donald Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris are tied at 47 percent. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is at 2 percent, Green Party nominee Jill Stein is at 1 percent and Libertarian Chase Oliver is at 1 percent.
In the head-to-head question, Trump edges Harris 48 to 47 percent, well within the poll’s +/- 3.68% margin of error.
“That Trump and Harris continue to be statistically tied is further evidence of how tight this race ultimately is going to be,” said Steve Mitchell, president of Mitchell Research & Communications, the firm that conducted the poll.
The survey shows Democrats’ voter enthusiasm edge is narrowing, although the demographics of who is voting for whom haven’t changed.
Women still prefer Harris. Men still prefer Trump. The more educated and younger you are, the more likely you are to support Harris. More Republicans say the economy/inflation and border security/immigration are the country’s top issues.
More Democrats say “threats to democracy” and abortion are the country’s top issues.
Among Democrats, 82 percent are “very enthusiastic” about voting, compared to 77 percent of Republicans who feel the same. In Mitchell’s Sept. 11 poll, 83 percent of Democrats said they were “very enthusiastic” while 71 percent of Republicans felt the same.
Less than 50 percent of voters view Harris and Trump favorably, meaning both are “underwater.” Of those asked, 48 percent view Harris favorably while 52 percent view her unfavorably. Trump is at 45 percent favorable, 54 percent unfavorable.
On the U.S. Senate race, Slotkin is getting 95 percent support among Democrats while Rogers is winning 87 percent support among Republicans. Independents are breaking for Rogers, 45 to 42 percent.
Mitchell noted that Slotkin has enjoyed a significant fundraising advantage over Rogers ($23.5 million to Rogers’ $5.5 million), but the recent announcement that a pair of outside political action committees are going to drop $30 million in ads in support of Rogers is a “game changer,” he said.
The universe of people polled included 49 percent who voted for Joe Biden in 2020, 46 percent who voted for Trump, 3 percent who didn’t vote in ‘20 and 2 percent who voted for someone else.
Only 22 voters of the 709 polled said they were undecided with most of them saying they’re undecided because they dislike both candidates. Of those, 59% said they voted for Biden in 2020, 11 percent voted for Trump and 30 percent voted for someone else. Two-thirds of the voters are more pro-choice than pro-life, but Mitchell said the other issues they care most about align closer to Republican voters than Democratic voters.
Article courtesy MIRS News for SBAM’s Lansing Watchdog newsletter
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