Donald Trump is having another bad day. First, Republican four-star General Colin Powell came out against him. Then the new IPIC-MRA Poll in Michigan knocked him to the ground and ran over him. Former Vice President Joe Biden left him in the dust.
Trump won Michigan over his 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton by an excruciatingly narrow lead, 0.23 percent. The new poll indicated that Biden was running 12 full percentage points above the president, 53-41. The poll also indicated that Biden had increased his lead six points since January, when it was 50-44, effectively doubling it.
Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has not helped POTUS in Michigan. The poll showed 58 percent of the interviewees gave him a “negative rating”, 41 percent gave him a “positive rating”, and only one percent were “undecided or refused to say.”
President of EPIC-MRA Bernie Porn said that the president “has taken a hit” during the coronavirus pandemic, whereas “Biden has solidified his position.”
In other poll findings:
- ‘63% say the country is heading in the wrong direction, up from 50% in January.
- If the election was held today, 51% would vote to replace Trump, up from 44% in January.
- Independent voters, who often decide Michigan elections, are backing Biden over Trump, 63-23.
- U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, a Democrat from Bloomfield Township, leads Republican challenger John James of Farmington Hills, 51-36, with 13% undecided or refusing to say.
- Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer got a job performance rating of 55% positive and 43% negative, up from 43-50 in January. And 60% gave her good marks for her handling of the coronavirus pandemic.’
The snapshots in time cannot measure Trump voters who were suspicious of all polls. In the last election EPIC-MRA polls showed Democratic Hillary Clinton winning in 2016 Michigan by 10 percentage points, 47 to 37 in March 2016 and the same difference in August, 46 to 36 percent.
Retired lawyer in Auburn Hills Paul Palgut, who took the poll, said the new jobs numbers were “good news” for Trump. He thought that was the president’s best path to victory in Michigan. However, he wondered the economy would continue its upward trend.
Unfortunately, most economists believe that the economy will worsen. Before a classification error had been caught, the unemployment rate went from 14.7 percent in April down to 13.3 percent. A three-percent error raised the unemployment rate to 16.3 percent.
Republican-leaning Palgut said:
‘Trump is Trump — he’s consistent He’s the first president who has actually fought the fight against China (on tariffs and theft of intellectual property)’.
Working for one of the Big Three automakers in quality control and design Carole Garner, who thinks of herself as a “progressive Democrat said:
‘As a female, having our governor talked about by our president so badly — the decisions she made probably stopped the pandemic in its tracks. I would have liked (Vermont Independent Sen.) Bernie (Sanders), but I’ll take Biden.’
According to Porn, Trump has also been attacking Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer via tweet and in the media, effectively raising her profile.
National Biden Presidential Campaign Co-Chair Whitmer said she is on Biden’s shortlist of potential running mates. When she attacked Trump’s response to the pandemic, POTUS hit back, and that raised her national profile.
Trump sent out this tweet:
‘Failing Michigan Governor must work harder and be much more proactive.’
EPIC-MRA of Lansing MI conducted its poll between May 30 and June 3 among 600 random likely voters. Live callers conducted the poll with 40 percent via cellphone. The margin of error was 4 +/- percentage points. A full 43 percent identified themselves as Democratic and 38 percent identified as Republican.
The Mueller Report Adventures: In Bite-Sizes on this Facebook page. These quick, two-minute reads interpret the report in normal English for busy people. Mueller Bite-Sizes uncovers what is essentially a compelling spy mystery. Interestingly enough, Mueller Bite-Sizes can be read in any order.
