Politics is descending on Michigan next week with the Presidential Primary Election slated Tuesday, March 8.
TRUMP, CLINTON LEAD: Michigan Primary Election Set March 8
March 1, 2016
By: Dave Rogers
Politics is descending on Michigan next week with the Presidential Primary Election slated Tuesday, March 8.
Expect no surprises.
A poll by Inside Michigan Politics/Target Insyght earlier this month shows Donald Trump with a commanding lead in Michigan with 35 percent followed by Senators Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, both with 21 percent. John Kasich, former Ohio governor is in fourth place with 6 percent.
The same poll shows Hillary Clinton with a commanding 62-30 percent lead over Bernie Sanders, although an American Family Voices poll shows Sanders narrowing Clinton's margin to 50-40.
Another survey of mainly GOP voters, taken Feb. 22-24 shows 54 percent believe Trump will be the Republican nominee this fall.
Although Republican Gov. Rick Snyder is the target of at least two recall attempts, the survey shows he is avoiding blame for the Flint water crisis among the GOP faithful. Only 6 percent of the survey group blame him although 14 percent place the responsibility on state government, 16 percent blame county government and 37 percent blame city government.
Only 14 percent of those polled think the governor should resign while 51 percent maintain Snyder should continue to lead the state. However, 35 percent were undecided or felt nothing should be done, perhaps indicating approval of Snyder's actions so far in dealing with the crisis.
The results may have been somewhat skewed because 47 percent of the 400 Republicans polled were age 61 and over; 86 percent were white, 11 percent Hispanic and 4 percent black.
Sixty-five percent of those polled said they were either conservative (42 percent) or very conservative (23 percent). While 81 percent of the polling sample described themselves as Republican, 11 percent declared themselves Independent and 8 percent Democratic.
Some 42 percent of the poll subjects declared themselves to be evangelical Christians.
Michigan's presidential primary ballots will have more candidates listed than are actually running. Several people have dropped out of the race since the ballots were printed, and more could leave the campaign, depending on how the March 1 "Super Tuesday" elections play out.
Michigan Secretary of State Ruth Johnson says it's too late to produce up-to-date ballots. She also says voters must pick either a Republican or Democratic party ballot, but do not have to be members of either party to participate.
Delegates are awarded based on the percentage of the vote the candidate receives.
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