Presidential race in Michigan stays tight, new poll shows

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The battle for Michigan in the upcoming presidential election remains neck-and-neck, with a new poll showing just one point separating Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

In a head-to-head matchup, 47% of those surveyed said they would vote for Trump and 46% for Harris, an EPIC-MRA poll released Friday morning shows. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%, so the results represent a statistical tie. Seven percent were undecided or declined to answer.

For most voters, neither candidate’s choice of vice presidential nominee was a big factor in whether they would support them. Sixty-five percent of those polled said Trump’s selection of U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio did not influence whether they would vote for him and 55% said Harris’ pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz did not affect their vote.

The results from a Emerson College Polling survey conducted earlier this week showed Harris with a 3-point lead over Trump in Michigan, also a statistical tie because the poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4%. An Emerson poll just after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race had Trump with one point over Harris, also a statistical tie because of the margin of error.

Both campaigns hope winning the combination of Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania will forge a clear path to the White House. The Emerson poll this week had Trump leading Harris by one point in Wisconsin (a statistical tie) and the two tied outright in Pennsylvania. The website 270toWin shows all three of the key states, plus Arizona, Georgia and Nevada, are considered tossups.

THE ISSUES

The EPIC-MRA poll asked voters which candidate they thought was better equipped to tackle various issues. Overall, Trump performed better on international matters and Harris better on domestic policy.

More people thought Trump would do a better job handling the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and confronting threats for nations like China, Iran and North Korea. They were also more likely to think his policies would help the economy and that he was more likely to propose bipartisan legislation to secure the border.

More people thought Harris would be better at nominating candidates for the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts, addressing climate change, working on reproductive rights legislation, adding affordable housing and ensuring access to health care.

U.S. SENATE RACE

With U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, a Democrat, retiring, Michigan has a Senate seat up for grabs in November. The race to replace her is between a current and former U.S. representative.

Of those polled by EPIC-MRA, 46% said they would vote for Democrat Elissa Slotkin and 42% said they would pick Mike Rogers, the Republican. Twelve percent were undecided or declined to say who they would vote for.

The Emerson poll from earlier this week had Slotkin with a six-point lead over Rogers.

The last time Michigan was represented by a Republican in the U.S. Senate was 2001. Spencer Abraham was replaced by Stabenow.

POLLING DEMOGRAPHICS

EPIC-MRA surveyed 600 people between Aug. 23 and Aug. 26. Forty-three percent of those polled identified themselves as Republicans, 41% as Democrats and 13% as independents.

Fifty-three percent were women and 47% men. Seventy-nine percent said they were white, 10% Black, 3% Latino, 1% each Asian and Native American, 2% said they were of multiple races, 1% identified as another race and 3% declined to provide their race. Nineteen percent were 34 or younger, 26% were between the ages of 35 and 49, 27% were between 50 and 64 and 28% were 65 or older.

The election is Nov. 5.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WOODTV.com.