Poll: GOP challenger cuts Stabenow’s lead to single digits in Michigan

Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D) now holds just a single-digit lead over her GOP challenger in a poll released Thursday that just last month showed her ahead by more than 20 points.

An EPIC-MRA survey commissioned by the Detroit Free Press found that Stabenow now leads John James (R), an Army veteran and first-time political candidate, by 7 points.

{mosads}James previously trailed by 23 points in the poll, which was in line with others from the race that mostly show Stabenow with a double-digit lead. Just two polls recorded by RealClearPolitics over the course of the Michigan campaign show a single-digit gap between the two, and the average lead for Stabenow on the polling site sits at 10.7 points.

According to the most recent poll, James’s surge is attributed to a rise in President Trump’s approval ratings in the state as well as increased Republican voter enthusiasm in recent days following the successful confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

James issued a call for fundraising this week that referenced his opponent’s own come-from-behind victory in 2000 to convince voters that he still remains a serious challenger.

“14 days out in 2000 -> @Stabenow was down 14 & won,” James tweeted on Tuesday. “14 days out in 2018 -> We’re 7 points away & closing in quickly! Donate NOW to help us keep SURGING in the polls!”

The EPIC-MRA poll released Thursday contacted 600 likely 2018 midterm voters between Oct 18-23, and contains a margin of error of 4 percentage points.