A new poll shows where Republican voters in Michigan stand on the governor’s race in the upcoming GOP primary election in August.
A new WDIV/Detroit News poll specifically asked Republican voters about the GOP candidates running to face off against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in November. Voters were also asked about the influence of former President Donald Trump. The Michigan primary is Aug. 2.
Here are some of the key findings from the survey on the 2022 race for governor:
Dixon has small lead, but many undecided
Results of the WDIV/Detroit News survey found 37.6% of likely GOP primary voters remain undecided in the Michigan GOP Gubernatorial race. At 18.6%, Tudor Dixon holds a 3.2% lead over Kevin Rinke (15.4%). Ryan Kelley is at 13.0% and Garrett Soldano is at 12.0%.
With a 4.4% survey margin of error, this race is a statistical tossup.
Kelley, Rinke lead in name identification
Results of the WDIV/Detroit News poll found Ryan Kelley leads the GOP field in name identification at 62.8%, with Kevin Rinke close behind at 60.6%.
Tudor Dixon has 50.0% name identification with Garrett Soldano at 40.6%. Ralph Rebandt has 19.0% name identification. Dixon’s name identification is focused on the Detroit Metro area, where she has 61.3% name identification compared to only 42.8% name identification in out-state portions of Michigan.
- Kevin Rinke has 67.0% name identification in the Detroit Metro area and 57% name identification in out-state regions.
- Ryan Kelley has virtually identical name identification in both Metro and out-state portions of Michigan.
- Garrett Soldano has 43.2% name identification in outstate Michigan and 36.5% name identification in Metro Detroit.
- Ralph Rebandt registered a 19% name identification.
Trump favorability and influence
The WDIV/Detroit News survey found 74.0% of likely GOP primary voters view Donald Trump favorably, with 13.0% viewing him unfavorably, and 11.2% having no opinion of him.
- There are divides growing by education between college educated and non-college educated Republicans and by whether or not the primary voter is a ‘Classic Republican’ or a ‘Trump Republican’
| Education level | Favorable | Unfavorable | No Opinion |
|---|---|---|---|
| High School | 82.4% | 8.4% | 8.4% |
| Some Post | 77.7% | 8.3% | 12.1% |
| College Educated | 68.0% | 19.2% | 11.4% |
Republican voters were asked if they were more supporters of the Republican Party or more supporters of Donald Trump. This question provides a difference between 58.2% of primary voters that are more supporters of the Republican Party compared to the 28.0% of primary voters that are more supporters of Donald Trump.
Only 62.9% of ‘Classic Republicans’ have a favorable view of Donald Trump. 20.3% have an unfavorable view and 15.5% have no opinion of him.
Likely voters were asked how important or not important a Trump endorsement would be to them in deciding who to support for the gubernatorial nomination. 63.4% of voters said the endorsement would be important, while 34.4% of voters said the endorsement would not be important to them.
- 31.8% of likely voters said a Trump endorsement would be VERY IMPORTANT.
Among undecided voters, 63.3% said a Trump endorsement would be important to helping them decide, with 30.9% saying it would be very important. 34.3% of undecided voters said a Trump endorsement would not be important to helping them decide.
Related: Full WDIV/Detroit News poll: 4 biggest takeaways from Michigan voters heading into elections
Methodology
The Glengariff Group, Inc. conducted a Michigan statewide survey of likely August 2022 Michigan Republican primary voters. The 500 sample, live operator telephone survey was conducted on July 13-15, 2022 and has a margin of error of +/-4.4% with a 95% level of confidence. 40% of respondents were contacted via landline telephone. 60.0% of respondents were contacted via cell phone telephone. This survey was commissioned by WDIV Local 4 News and the Detroit News.