It’s a tie: Biden, Trump even in Michigan poll

LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump are in a virtual tie for Michigan’s electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election. That’s according to a poll by Emerson College commissioned by The Hill.

The poll shows Trump with a slight 45-44 lead with 11% undecided. When the undecided voters were asked which way they leaned, Trump got a total of 50.3% of those polled to Biden’s 49.7%.

The poll of 1,000 registered voters took place between March 14 and 18th and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. The people polled were divided almost equally between the parties – with 376 Democrats and 370 Republicans. The rest identified as independents.

Of the people polled, most (26.9%) said they chose their candidate because they disliked the other candidate more. Almost as many (26.2%) said they made their choice because they liked their preferred candidate. Almost a quarter of voters (24.2%) said their vote was issue-based. Another 12% said they chose based on their candidate’s political party.

Michigan’s 15 electoral votes will be critical to whichever candidate wins the White House. Trump won the state in 2016 against Hillary Clinton. Biden won Michigan in 2020 against Trump.

Biden continues to be hampered by his job approval rating. More than half of those polled (52%) say they disapprove of the way he’s doing his job. Almost four out of ten (39%) said they approved.

Gov. Whitmer has a good job rating, she currently holds 49% job approval, 42% disapproval, and 10% neutral. Hypothetically speaking, if Whitmer ran for president, Whitmer would beat Trump for Michigan’s electoral votes: 50% support Whitmer and 45% support Trump.

At the same time, more than half of Michiganders (51%) say Trump does not deserve another chance to run for president after the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. The other 49% believe he does.

Those numbers could help explain why a third of those polled say they’re not satisfied with the choice of Biden and Trump and would want to see a third-party candidate. And when given the choice of five presidential candidates, including Biden, Trump, Robert Kennedy, Cornel West, and Jill Stein, Trump gets 43% support compared to Biden’s 41%. Kennedy gets 5%, Stein 1%, and West just under 1%. Ten percent say they’re undecided.

The Hill is owned by Nexstar, which also owns WLNS-TV, WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, and WJMN-TV in Marquette.

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