MI-Gov: Democrat Gretchen Whitmer leads Republican Bill Schuette by comfortable margin in new poll

A new poll shows that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gretchen Whitmer is leading Republican candidate Bill Schuette by a double-digit margin.

What are the details?

The statewide poll, conducted by the Glengariff Group for the Detroit News and WDIV-TV, showed that Whitmer holds a nearly 14-point lead over Schuette. Nearly half of respondents (49.8 percent) said they would vote for Whitmer, compared to 36.1 who said they'd vote for Schuette.

Four percent of those surveyed said that they would choose a third-party candidate, and 2.3 percent of respondents said that they would back Libertarian candidate Bill Gelineau.

Ten percent of respondents remained undecided.

The survey polled 600 likely Michigan voters and was conducted Sept. 5-7. The survey also reported that 43 percent of respondents self-identified as Democrats, 37 percent of respondents identified as Republicans, and 20 percent of respondents identified as independents. The survey has a margin of error of 4 percent.

The poll anticipated a record voter turnout for the Nov. 6 general election. The Cook Political Report calls the Michigan governor’s race a toss-up.

What about the finances?

According to MLive, Schuette has outraised Whitmer in the most recent campaign finance filing period, but the two are on fairly equal footing when it comes to fundraising and cash on hand.

In the period from July 23 to Aug. 27, Schuette brought in $1.15 million in private donations, and received more than $354,000 in public funds, which brought up his total to about $1.5 million.

Schuette also took out a loan of about $312,000. He has spent $1.48 million on his campaign during this period. In 2018, Schuette has raised about $3.48 million.

In comparison, Whitmer brought in $924,601 in private donations, and received more than $238,000 in public funds, which brought up her total to about $1.16 million.

Whitmer spent $2.5 million on her campaign during this period. In 2018, Whitmer has raised more than $5 million.

Anything else?

Whitmer won the Democratic nomination with about 50 percent of the vote. Schuette won the Republican nomination with about 51 percent. The primary was held on Aug. 7.

You can read more about Whitmer's and Schuette’s backgrounds here.