Decision 2018: Michigan Governor GOP Primary Poll

Michigan is a Midwestern state with a split political personality. While it steadily voted Democratic for President from 1992 to 2012, it also consistently voted Republican between 1968 and 1988, and it was one of three “Blue Wall” states that surprised many people on Election Night 2016 when it voted for Trump by 10,700 votes.

When Republicans recaptured the Governor’s chair in 2010, its candidate (Rick Snyder) promised to be “one tough nerd”, with his focus on bringing economic growth back to Michigan. Now that Snyder isn’t running again (he’s term limited), his Lieutenant Governor (Brian Calley) is running on a continuation of Snyder’s policies, and similarly has his own quirky ads (such as his “running” ad).

Calley’s main opponent is Attorney General Bill Schuette, who was elected to Congress in the 1984 Reagan landslide, and was elected Attorney General in 2010. The tone of Schuette’s campaign has a more ideological edge to it, accusing Calley of “fumbling the ball” by not preventing a tax increase passed by Governor Svyder’s Democratic predecessor, just to use one example.

The poll can be found here, and the main takeaways are as follows: (1) among the Republican electorate, President Trump remains overwhelmingly popular, and (2) the undecided percentage in the Governor’s race is still pretty high considering that the primary is three weeks away.