DETROIT – How are Michigan voters feeling on important races and issues heading into the final stretch of the 2020 election?
A new WDIV/Detroit News poll asked voters about the presidential race, the Michigan U.S. Senate race and other hot topics around the country, including the battle of the Supreme Court, and the idea of getting the a vaccine for COVID-19.
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Here are some of the key findings from the WDIV/Detroit News poll, which was conducted between Sept. 30 and Oct. 3, 2020. (Full survey below)
Biden boosts lead over Trump
Following the first debate of the 2020 election, Joe Biden has taken his largest lead of the Presidential race in Michigan, leading Donald Trump 48.0%- 39.2% -- a lead of 8.8%. Trump has lost three points of support since the September post-convention survey.
There has been a major shift among voters over the age of 65 towards Joe Biden. Older voters now support Biden over Trump by a margin of 59.1%-29.2% -- a nearly 30-point lead for Joe Biden. Biden led senior voters by 7.5% in the Post-Convention survey. Senior voters have shifted by 22 points since early September.
20% of voters over 65 have already completed their absentee ballot. A total of 76.6% of senior voters plan to vote absentee/mail.
There has also been a shift among voters aged 50-64 that has long been a base of support for Donald Trump. In early September, Trump led these voters 51.8%-42.2 – a 9.6% advantage. Now the race is tied with both candidates at 46%.
More: Biden bolsters lead over Trump in Michigan after first debate
Peters boosts lead over James in Senate race
Michigan U.S. Senator Gary Peters has increased his lead over Republican challenger John James, but the race remains tight, according to a new WDIV/Detroit News poll.
Gary Peters now leads John James by 5.4%. In early September, Peters led the race by 3.1% within the margin of error. About 13% of voters remain undecided in this race.
James leads in out-state Michigan 46.0%-39.6% -- the exact same percentages as the Presidential race. But Peters lead in the Detroit Metro region by a margin of 50.3%-33.2%, with 15.2% in Detroit metro still undecided.
More: Peters boosts lead over James, but Michigan US Senate race remains tight
Supreme Court seat, issues
According to the poll, 54.4% of voters believe Justice Ginsberg’s seat should be filled after the result of the presidential election on Nov. 3. 42.6% of voters believe Donald Trump should fill the seat.
Michigan voters strongly oppose overturning Roe v. Wade. 23.7% support overturning the court decision and 65.0% oppose overturning the decision.
57.7% of Michigan voters say the Supreme Court should leave the Affordable Care Act in place. Only 28.1% of Michigan voters believe the Affordable Care Act should be overturned and ruled unconstitutional.
More: Michigan voters oppose filling Supreme Court seat before election, support Roe v. Wade and ACA
COVID vaccines
Michigan voters are on the fence on getting a potential vaccine for COVID-19, a new WDIV/Detroit News poll finds.
Voters were asked if an FDA approved COVID-19 vaccination were available, would they get vaccinated. 44.1% would get the vaccination while 39.1% would not get the vaccination. 16.5% were undecided.
When asked if they would be more or likely to get the COVID vaccine if their doctor recommended it, 54.7% would get the vaccine while 34.2% would not get the vaccine.
Even with their doctor’s recommendation, voters aged 30-49 would remain sharply opposed to getting the vaccine. 69.3% of voters over 65 years old would get the vaccine with their doctor’s recommendation.
The strongest opposition to getting a vaccine comes from Republican voters. 53.5% of Black voters also oppose getting the vaccine, according to the poll.
METHODOLOGY
The Glengariff Group, Inc. conducted a Michigan statewide survey of November 2020 likely general election voters. The 600 sample, live operator telephone survey was conducted on September 30-October 3, 2020 and has a margin of error of +/-4.0% with a 95% level of confidence. 50.0% of respondents were contacted via landline telephone. 50.0% of respondents were contacted via cell phone telephone. This survey was commissioned by WDIV Local 4 News and the Detroit News.