by Scott McClallen
A new poll shows the Michigan governor’s race is close between incumbent Democrat Gretchen Whitmer and Republican challenger Tudor Dixon less than three months before the 2022 election.
AARP Michigan released a 2022 election survey that shows Whitmer leading Dixon 51% to 46% among all likely voters, with a similar split (50/46) among voters ages 50+.
The poll showed Whitmer leads by 17% among women and women 50+, while Dixon leads by 7% among men overall and 10% among men 50+.
“Michigan voters 50 and over are a critical voting demographic that all candidates are competing for in this midterm election,” AARP Michigan State Director Paula Cunningham said in a statement. “With the price of necessities like gas, groceries and prescription drugs so high, Michigan residents want their leaders to provide solutions to inflation and the rising cost of living. The message is clear, if candidates want to win, they should pay attention to the issues that matter to Michiganders 50-plus.”
The survey also found
- A significant majority (71%) think the country is headed in the wrong direction, while 55% think the same about the direction of the state.
- Only 41% of voters overall say the economy is working well for them, with 61% saying they are worried about their personal financial situation.
- 88% of voters 50+ say they are extremely motivated to vote in November’s election.
- When asked whether inflation or the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade is personally more important in deciding who to vote for, 54% of voters 50+ said inflation, while 41% chose the Roe ruling.
AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward & Impact Research to conduct a survey.
The firms interviewed 1,365 likely Michigan voters between August 8-14, which includes a statewide representative sample of 500 likely voters. The polling included an oversample of 550 likely voters age 50 and older, and an additional oversample of 315 Black likely voters age 50 and older.
The interviews were conducted via landline (30%), cellphone (35%), and SMS-to-web (35%).
The margin of sampling error for the 500 statewide sample is ±4.4%; for the 850 total sample of voters 50+ is ±3.4%; for the 400 total sample of Black voters 50+ is ±4.9%.
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Scott McClallen is a staff writer covering Michigan and Minnesota for The Center Square. A graduate of Hillsdale College, his work has appeared on Forbes.com and FEE.org. Previously, he worked as a financial analyst at Pepsi.
Photo “Tudor Dixon” by Tudor Dixon. Photo “Gretchen Whitmer” by Gretchen Whitmer. Background Photo “Michigan State Capitol” by San906. CC0 1.0.
