Whitmer’s lead on Dixon in Michigan governor race tightens: poll

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) holds a 6-point lead in her reelection bid against Republican challenger Tudor Dixon, a new CBS News-YouGov poll shows.  

The 6-point margin is smaller than a number of recent polls that have found Whitmer with a double-digit lead over the Trump-backed first-time candidate.  

The latest poll put Whitmer ahead with 53 percent of likely Michigan voters, while Dixon was backed by 47 percent.  

Most registered Michigan voters in the new poll said they’d describe the Democrat as “mainstream” and “competent,” while most said they’d describe Dixon as “extreme.”  

Whitmer pulled in a 52 percent approval rating for her work as governor, higher than the 39 percent approval rating that President Biden received from Michigan voters.  

Fifty-two percent said Biden’s policies have hurt Michigan’s economy. Among likely voters who think the economy is the state’s most important issue, Dixon is 10 points ahead of Whitmer, 55 percent to 45 percent.

By contrast, Whitmer is ahead by 36 points among voters who say abortion is the most important issue facing Michigan, 68 percent to 32 percent.  

The poll was conducted between Oct. 3 and Oct. 7 and surveyed 1,138 registered Michigan voters. The margin of error is 3.6 percentage points.