New Poll Shows Schuette Catching Up To Whitmer

DETROIT, MI — As we near the Nov.6 Election Day, polls are showing the gap between Michigan’s gubernatorial candidates is closing.

Just a month ago the local polls showed Democratic candidate and former Senate minority leader Gretchen Whitmer with a double-digit lead over Republican candidate and current Attorney General Bill Schuette.

The new poll, by the Detroit Free Press, shows Whitmer has only an eight-point lead over Schuette.

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The poll was conducted by EPIC-MRA of Lansing and President Bernie Porn said some of Schuette's attacks linking Whitmer to former Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and the "lost decade" of the 2000s — marked by a lengthy nationwide recession that hit Michigan especially hard — may be having an effect, the Free Press reported. Whitmer was a lawmaker in the House and Senate while Granholm was governor.

The poll shows Whitmer with 45 percent support, compared with 37 percent for Schuette. Another 11 percent were either undecided or refused to answer, while 2 percent said they support Libertarian Bill Gelineau and 5 percent said they support another unspecified candidate.

The poll also suggested that President Donald Trump's unpopularity in Michigan continues to energize Democrats and hurt Republicans, including gubernatorial candidate Bill Schuette and GOP congressional candidates.

See more results from the Detroit Free Press poll here.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. Michiganders have until Oct. 9 to register to vote in the election. Learn more about registering to vote or seeing your sample ballot here.

Subscribe to Patch for the latest in Michigan's upcoming election or connect with Detroit Patch on Facebook. Photo of Whitmer via GretchenWhitmer.com; Photo of Schuette via Shutterstock