Poll Shows GOP's Dixon Closing In on Whitmer in Michigan (Newsmax)
By Fran Beyer | Monday, 10 October 2022 10:42 AM EDT
Tudor Dixon, the GOP challenger to Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, is closing the gap in the high-profile race, a new CBS News-YouGov poll shows.
The recent survey showed Whitmer with a 6-point lead in her reelection bid against Dixon — smaller than recent polls that gave the governor a double-digit lead over Dixon, who has the backing of former President Donald Trump.
The new poll put Whitmer ahead with 53% of likely Michigan voters, while Dixon was backed by 47%.
The poll showed that while moderate voters tend to prefer Whitmer over Dixon, their concerns about the economy may be pivotal on Election Day.
"It's the economy that's more on the minds of Michigan voters than the coronavirus, and most of them rate the state's economy negatively (although better than the nation's). Half of voters are expecting the U.S. to be in recession next year, perhaps leaving some room for Dixon to gain ground," the pollsters wrote.
"And by two to one, more voters think Biden's policies have hurt, rather than helped Michigan's economy. This suggests that further nationalization of this race, and making it a referendum on Democrats nationally, could help Dixon."
Women overwhelmingly back Gretchen Whitmer's campaign, giving her a 19-point boost over Dixon, with abortion being the top issue for women under 45, the survey showed.
In other findings, the poll showed:
- 52% approve of Whitmer for her work as governor, higher than the 39% rating they gave President Joe Biden.
- 52% said Biden's policies have hurt Michigan's economy. Among likely voters who think the economy is the state's most important issue, Dixon is 10 points ahead of Whitmer, 55% to 45%.
- Whitmer is ahead by 36 points among voters who say abortion is the most important issue facing Michigan, 68% to 32%.
The poll — conducted from Oct. 3-7 among 1,138 registered Michigan voters, has a margin of error of 3.6 percentage points.