Whitmer widens lead over Dixon to 17 points in Michigan governor poll 

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has expanded her lead over Republican challenger Tudor Dixon to 17 points as the two vie for the state’s governorship, a new poll from Detroit News and WDIV-TV shows. 

The survey found that 49.5 percent of likely Michigan voters picked Whitmer as their preferred candidate, while about 32 percent backed Dixon. 

Around 10 percent of respondents said they were still undecided, with the midterm elections just a few weeks away.  Another 6 percent planned to vote for a third-party candidate instead, and nearly 3 percent refused to answer. 

The new results indicate incumbent Whitmer is widening her lead over her Trump-backed challenger.  

A previous Detroit News poll initiated in August had Whitmer ahead by 13 points, and a Detroit Free Press poll last month put the governor ahead by 16 points. 

Former President Trump on Saturday rallied for Dixon in Michigan, praising the first-time candidate for her hard-line conservative stances on abortion, education and law enforcement. 

Last month, some Michigan GOP members launched a “Republicans for Whitmer” campaign, turning away from Dixon in favor of what they see as a more middle-ground candidate. 

The poll was conducted by the Glengariff Group research firm in Lansing, which surveyed 600 likely general election voters in Michigan from Sept. 26-29 and had a margin of error of 4 percentage points.