Poll: Republican Tudor Dixon Closing Gap on Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan

A new poll shows Republican gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon slowly closing the gap between her and Democrat Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan.

Surveying 1,138 registered Michigan voters between October 3-7, the CBS News/YouGov poll showed that Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a six-point lead over Republican challenger Tudor Dixon — 53 percent to 47 percent. A Detroit News poll in early September showed Whitmer leading Dixon by 13 points.

According to CBS News, the poll showed that while moderate voters tend to prefer Whitmer over Dixon, their concerns about the economy may sway them into Dixon’s camp come voting day:

It’s the economy that’s more on the minds of Michigan voters than the coronavirus, and most of them rate the state’s economy negatively (although better than the nation’s). Half of voters are expecting the U.S. to be in recession next year, perhaps leaving some room for Dixon to gain ground.

And by two to one, more voters think Biden’s policies have hurt, rather than helped Michigan’s economy. This suggests that further nationalization of this race, and making it a referendum on Democrats nationally, could help Dixon.

Women overwhelmingly back Gretchen Whitmer’s campaign, giving her a 19-point boost over Dixon, with abortion being the top issue for women under 45.

Law enforcement in the state of Michigan has pegged Dixon as their preferred candidate. In September, 22 sheriffs wrote an open letter praising her for valuing “safety and security above all else.”

“We are pleased to come together to give our full and unwavering support to a candidate that respects our men and women in uniform, puts safety and security above a personal political agenda, and is committed to making meaningful changes to the current status quo,” the sheriffs wrote.

“We look forward to partnering with Tudor Dixon and her Administration on the critical issues facing law enforcement and making safety and security a top priority,” the sheriffs added.