Poll: Biden has strong lead over Trump in Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has an 11-point lead over Republican President Donald Trump in Michigan, a poll released Friday morning found.

In the new EPIC-MRA poll, 51% of respondents said they would vote for Biden if the election were held immediately and 40% said they would vote for Trump. Three percent said they would vote for Libertarian Jo Jorgensen and 6% said they were undecided or declined to answer.

Respondents also gave Trump a poor job performance rating, with 59% responding negatively and 39% saying they thought he was doing a good job.

MICHIGAN

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got a better job rating, with 57% saying she was doing a good job and 42% saying just fair or poor.

People were less enthusiastic about Michigan’s economy, with 51% rating it negatively and 41% positively.

The closures that Whitmer ordered to combat the spread of the coroanvirus hit the economy hard, with more than 2 million filing for unemployment benefits. Other states have seen similar effects from their shutdowns.

Still, many felt Michigan is headed in the right direction, with 50% saying it is. Thirty-six percent disagreed. That’s far better than the feeling about the nation as a whole. Of those surveyed, 70% felt the nation is headed in the wrong direction.

The poll also queried people on their opinions about the Black Lives Matter movement (50% approved of it) and federal intervention in racial inequity protests in Portland, Oregon (58% disapproved).

U.S. SENATE

In the race for the U.S. Senate, Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, maintained a strong lead over Republican challenger John James. Half of those surveyed said they would vote for Peters if the election was held right away and 40% said they would pick James.

James previously failed to defeat U.S. Sen Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, in 2018.

THE POLL

EPIC-MRA surveyed 600 people in Michigan between July 25 and July 30. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.

About a third of respondents identified as conservatives, another third as moderates and 23% as liberal. Forty-four percent said they were Democrats, 39% Republican, and 14% independent. The remainder identified otherwise, declined to answer or were undecided.