A new poll shows that the Donald Trump-endorsed candidate leads in the August 7 GOP gubernatorial primary in Michigan and “Donald Trump remains popular among Michigan Republicans.”
“Among Republicans, Donald Trump remains popular with overwhelming support across the board, although support is not so one-sided in the Lansing media market and among more moderate Republicans (who are not a substantial part of the Republican primary electorate),” the polling firm, JMC Analytics, reports:
In the Governor’s race, Bill Schuette has a 25-17% plurality lead over Brian Calley, although 45% remain undecided. This lead is consistent across the state, although the race is a near tie in the Detroit media market.
Schuette’s lead is largely due to 35-13% support from self-described Trump Republicans and those who describe themselves as “very conservative.”
In summary, the governor’s race is still anyone’s to win, given the high undecided percentage.
President Trump has endorsed Schuette, the state’s attorney general. Term-limited Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has endorsed Calley, the lieutenant governor.
“Trump endorsed Schuette back in September 2017, and the Schuette campaign has repeatedly used footage of the president calling him a ‘great friend’ when he last visited Michigan for an April rally in Macomb County,” the Detroit News reported last week:
Schuette’s latest television ad again uses the Trump clip as the attorney general promises to be “tough” on illegal immigration and ban sanctuary cities if he is elected governor of Michigan. He is the front runner for the GOP nomination.
In the battle of endorsements, “Trump trumps Snyder” among GOP voters, said pollster Richard Czuba.
“Snyder’s numbers are still solid among Republicans, so it doesn’t hurt (for Calley) to use Snyder,” said Czuba, founder and chief executive of the Lansing-based Glengariff Group. “The problem is that Schuette has Trump, and Trump’s numbers are so strong with Republican primary voters.”
Calley has to use Snyder because “that’s what he’s got.”
You can watch the latest Schuette campaign ad here:
“Snyder endorsed Calley as his chosen successor in March, and this week began taking a more active role in the race with the Aug. 7 primary fast approaching,”the News reported:
The governor’s Making Government Accountable non-profit on Thursday launched a $1.3 million television ad campaign with a commercial that tells the Michigan “comeback story” and features both Snyder and Calley.
A narrator in the 60-second issue ad, which does not directly ask viewers to vote for Calley, says the Republican duo “ignored the politics and just thought about us.” Calley later says he and Snyder “reminded government that they work for you.”
You can watch the latest Calley campaign ad here:
“Michigan is currently a Republican trifecta. It gained this status in 2011, when Snyder took office [as governor in 2010] and Republicans gained a majority in the Michigan House of Representatives. Michigan is currently a Republican triplex,” Ballotpedia reported:
In the previous five presidential elections, Michigan was won by the Democratic candidate in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 and by the Republican candidate in 2016. The widest margin of victory was Barack Obama’s 17 percent margin in 2008 while the narrowest was Donald Trump’s 0.13 percent margin in 2016.
In the Democratic primary, former State Senator Gretchen Whitmer is the front runner, according to the most recent poll, followed by Shri Thanedar in second place and Abdul El-Sayed in third place.
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