Despite having the sixth highest unemployment rate in the country at 7.4 percent, Michigan residents feel the economy is headed in the right direction, which is a positive for Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder as he heads into November’s midterm elections.
A poll released Tuesday for the Detroit News and WDIV found that the Republican incumbent governor holds an eight point lead over his Democratic challenger, Mark Schauer. The poll found Snyder with a 45 percent to 37 percent lead with 15 percent of voters undecided.
What’s helping Snyder the most is a majority of Michigan residents feel the economy is heading in the right direction. The poll found that 51 percent of likely voters have positive views about the economic future in the state. Since Snyder took office, Michigan has added 233,200 jobs.
Sensing the importance the economy has played in the election, Democratic challenger Mark Schauer released a new campaign ad Tuesday called “Every Penny.” The ad hits Snyder on corporate outsourcing in the state and the tax breaks Snyder has given.
“Gov. Snyder gives tax breaks to businesses even if they outsource jobs,” Schauer says in the ad. “I’ll give tax incentives to businesses that create Michigan jobs.”
The eight-point advantage given to Snyder in Tuesday’s poll is above most recent polls. The Real Clear Politics average gives the advantage to Snyder by 4.2 percent. Tuesday’s poll was conducted between Oct. 2-4 and surveyed 600 likely voters. There is a margin of error of plus-minus four percentage points.
