LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Multiple polls have been conducted to determine the leading Republican candidate to unseat Governor Gretchen Whiter in November.

One of the most recent polls from Michigan News Source and Trafalgar Group conducted between July 26th and July 28th shows candidate Tudor Dixon with a 9-point lead with Garrett Soldano in second place.

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According to this new poll, there are still also 19.3% of the voters who are undecided about who to vote for, only one day before Michigan’s primary election.

Who are the undecided voters, why are they confused, and what are their most pressing issues?

Name recognition might be one of the issues that is causing Michigan voters pause. With the early frontrunners James Craig and Perry Johnson out of the race after being disqualified due to fraudulent signatures on their petitions to get on the ballot, the other candidates were quickly thrust into the forefront.

Richard Czuba of Glengariff Group told Bridge Michigan, “I don’t think Republican primary voters know who can beat Whitmer because they don’t really know who any of these candidates are.”

A WDIV/Detroit news poll in July found that none of the candidates reached 50% in name recognition in their survey with Kelley coming the closest with 49.8%.

Some voters have undoubtedly been waiting for the Trump endorsement. A Glengariff Group’s survey showed that 63% said a Trump endorsement would be very or somewhat important in helping them choose a candidate.

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That endorsement came late on Friday night with President Trump endorsing Tudor Dixon. Trump called her a “conservative warrior” ready to take on Governor Whitmer.

Michigan voter Elaine Smith tweeted about Trumps impending endorsement, “Looking forward to the announcement. That current Governor needs to go. Back Trump’s endorsement.”

Will Trump’s endorsement put Dixon over the top or will voters wait until they step inside of the voting booth to decide?

Michigan News Source had a conversation on a Michigan republican social media site with a voter in the Saginaw area named Linda about the election and she said, “I am totally confused on governor choice. I really like Soldano but a lot of people are talking about Kelley. Then he comes out and tells people to bring guns to pole watch and now
Trump endorses Tudor!”

She went on to say, “There is just so much going on in the news these days that it’s hard to keep up and to know who to believe. I am a Christian Conservative and I see evil trying to take over everywhere. It’s easy to see where it is coming from the left but harder to see where it is coming from the Right.”

A Bridge Michigan reporter looked into the undecideds and went to Overisel Township, an area where Dutch immigrants settled in 1848, a very conservative community who voted for Trump by a whopping 82% and votes straight ticket for republicans 90% of the time.

The sentiment In Overisel Township was clear – after being locked down by Whitmer during the pandemic, they all want someone who can beat her.

“I want her (Whitmer) out there bad,” Ken Laarman said of the current governor. He’s also looking for someone in office with the values that he has.

What are the other issues Michiganders are concerned with?

Overall, it looks like the economy is the number one issue with Republican voters in Michigan just like it is in the rest of the country. Another poll conducted by Emerson College Polling survey of Republican primary voters conducted July 28-30 shows that the economy is the most important issue at 68%. Other issues of concern
include immigration (8%), healthcare (6%), education (6%), crime (4%), abortion access (3%), housing affordability (1%), and something else (4%).

 

Polls in Michigan open at 7 a.m. on August 2 and are open until 8 p.m.