U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow has a double-digit lead over Republican opponent John James in her re-election bid, according to a new poll released Monday.
Stabenow, D-Lansing, was favored by 55.5 percent of 600 surveyed likely Michigan voters 33 percent for James, a Farmington Hills businessman and combat veteran, with 10 percent undecided. Third-party candidates received 2 percent support.
The Sept. 5-7 poll, conducted for The Detroit News and WDIV-TV by the Glengariff Group, has a margin of error of plus-minus 4 percentage points.
Almost all of the poll respondents had heard of the incumbent, and 54 percent held a favorable view of her compared with 31 percent unfavorable. James' name ID was at 54 percent with 21 percent favorable to 15.5 percent unfavorable.
James faces an uphill battle against Stabenow, who is well-liked and known to voters, said Richard Czuba, the pollster for Glengariff.
"He has room to grow, but he is facing the same dynamics as every other Republican on the ticket, coupled with the fact that Debbie Stabenow is widely liked," Czuba said. "I just think the U.S. Senate race is shaping up to be a very hard climb for Republicans. Something significant would have to happen either with the nation or these candidates."
The GOP is getting so desperate that they’ve resorted to this disgusting attack against Whitmer:
Bill Schuette knows that the race for governor is ramping up, which means that now is the time for low-blow campaign tactics ahead of the November election.
In his latest attack ad against Democratic candidate Gretchen Whitmer, the Republican candidate's rhetoric positions Whitmer-Gilchrist as being the "Most left-wing ticket in Michigan history."
Dripping in propaganda, the ad continues to use inflammatory words to appeal to potential right-wing voters. However, perhaps the most unsettling piece of the attack ad is the context from which the images of Whitmer are pulled from.
The grim-faced Whitmer is in stark contrast to the typical images of the smiling, bright features of the Democratic candidate. And for good reason. The frowning photo of Whitmer comes from her address to the Michigan Senate in 2013 when she shared personal details of her sexual assault survival story in response to the "rape insurance" bill.
We’re on the verge of making some big wins in Michigan but we have to keep up the momentum. Click below to donate and get involved with the Whitmer/Gilchrist ticket and her fellow Michigan Democrats campaigns:
Gretchen Whitmer for Governor
Debbie Stabenow for Senate
Dana Nessel for Attorney General
Jocelyn Benson for Secretary of State
Andy Levin for Congress
Haley Stevens for Congress
Elissa Slotkin for Congress
Gretchen Driskell for Congress