Michigan poll: Tight race for Republicans hoping to take on Gov. Whitmer as voters await Trump endorsement
Tudor Dixon has a slight lead in the Michigan GOP gubernatorial primary, the poll shows
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican candidates for Michigan governor are in a tight primary race with many voters still undecided while awaiting a potential Trump endorsement, a new poll released Tuesday shows.
The new WDIV/The Detroit News poll shows Tudor Dixon, Kevin Rinke, Garrett Solando, and Ryan Kelley in a close GOP primary race that will decide who will advance to the November midterms to challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Dixon held a slight lead over her opponents among likely Republican voters, according to the poll. She received 19% support, with 15% saying they would vote for Rinke. Around 13% expressed support for Kelley and 12% said they'd be checking Soldano on their ballots. The poll found that with the primary election just two weeks away, 38% of voters still remain undecided.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Dixon has received endorsements from various organizations such as American Conservative Union (ACU), Right to Life of Michigan Political Action Committee (RLM-PAC), and Police Officers Association of Michigan (POAM).
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Tudor Dixon is the leading candidate in the gubernatorial primary race for the GOP nomination. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The businesswoman also received endorsements from several politicians, including former Michigan Gov. John Engler. Dixon is a likely candidate to receive a possible Trump endorsement, after he called her "a fantastic, brilliant candidate" at a rally held in the state.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Rinke, who is prepared to spend $10 million on his gubernatorial campaign, polls at a close second to Dixon.
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Another leading contender, Ryan Kelley, was arrested by the FBI in June on misdemeanor charges for his alleged role in the Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol. Kelley pleaded not guilty to all four charges and is not due back in court until after the GOP primary concludes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Ryan Kelley is a front runner in the GOP race for Michigan Governor. (Jeff Kowalsky/AFP via Getty Images)
Former President Donald Trump has not yet handed out an endorsement for the race, a component that could potentially sway voters in a particular direction.
The Detroit poll showed that about 60% of voters feel that a Trump endorsement would be somewhat or very important in helping them decide which candidate to vote for. According to the research, 74% of likely Republican voters in Michigan view the former president favorably.
The poll also looked ahead to 2024, asking voters if they would rather have Trump or Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., represent Republicans in the next presidential election. About 45% said they would vote for Trump, with 42% of voters rooting for DeSantis.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is the presumptive Democrat nominee for the 2022 midterms. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Whitmer, who is running for the Democratic Party's nomination unopposed in the Aug. 2 primary, will face on the winning GOP candidate in the Nov. 8 election.
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The Glengariff Group, Inc. telephone survey was conducted on July 13-17, 2022, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.