Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 9 points in Michigan, a traditionally blue state in presidential elections Mr. Trump has talked frequently about flipping red, according to a new survey.
Mrs. Clinton had a 9-point, 41 percent to 32 percent lead over Mr. Trump in the state, with Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson at about 8 percent and Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 3 percent, according to the survey conducted for The Detroit News and WDIV-TV.
The 9-point edge for Mrs. Clinton shrunk to 6 points in a head-to-head match-up with Mr. Trump. The poll was taken from July 30-Aug. 1 — soon after the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
But pollster Richard Czuba said beyond the top line numbers, Mrs. Clinton has a “shocking” lead in the GOP strongholds of west and southwest Michigan.
“He’s sitting in the cellar right now, and they’re going to have to do something to dramatically turn this around,” Mr. Czuba, president of the Glengariff Group Inc. polling firm, told The Detroit News. “If I were a Republican running on this ticket right now, I’d be beyond nervous.”
In May, Mrs. Clinton had held a 4-point lead over Mr. Trump, 37 percent to 33 percent, with Mr. Johnson at about 12 percent.
In the new poll, 61 percent said Mr. Trump is not qualified to be president, compared to 57 percent who said Mrs. Clinton is qualified.
Michigan has voted for the Democratic presidential candidate in every election since 1992, but Mr. Trump has mentioned it as a state he thinks he can turn red in the fall.
The GOP presidential candidate is scheduled to be in the state on Monday for a speech to the Detroit Economic Club.
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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