Ryan Kelley leading Michigan Republican gubernatorial field after arrest on charges related to Jan. 6: poll

Michigan gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley, who was arrested by the FBI last Thursday in connection to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, is currently the leading candidate in the state’s Republican primary, according to an EPIC-MRA poll, as reported by local station WOOD.

Kelley received the support of 17 percent of survey respondents, with chiropractor Garrett Soldano trailing in second with 13 percent, according to the poll.

Kelley has been accused of being on the grounds of the Capitol during the riot, though the FBI says there is no evidence that he was inside the building on that violent day. They allege that Kelley climbed a scaffold outside the building and participated with a crowd that confronted Capitol Police officers.

Businessman Kevin Rinke finished third in the poll with 12 percent of the vote and pastor Ralph Rebandt and businesswoman Tudor Dixon both received less than 10 percent support.

The new poll shows higher numbers for Kelley after a poll for the Detroit Regional Chamber conducted by Glengariff Group, Inc. that was released May 2 found he had received less than 6 percent among likely Republican primary voters, compared to former Detroit Police Chief James Craig, who received the highest percentage of support at 23 percent.

Craig has since been among several primary candidates who were eliminated from the election over invalid signatures submitted, though he is seeking to run as a write-in candidate now. 

The poll released Thursday notes that a good chunk of primary voters — 45 percent — said they remain undecided. The Republican primary is slated for Aug. 2.

—Updated at 5:02 p.m.