POLL PROJECTIONS – GOVERNOR
- Jun 22
- 1 min read
Despite one top Republican stating, “No one can beat Jocelyn (Benson) right now,” Republican candidates are certainly determined to go for broke doing just that. According to a recent poll from the Mitchell Research, two-term Macomb County Congressman John James is in a statistical tie with former Attorney General Mike Cox, with James at 28 percent to Cox’s 27 percent, despite Cox noting that his campaign has spent “approximately $2.6 million this cycle to John James’ $4.4 million – yet James has dropped nearly 30 points,” Cox said in an email. Persistent candidate and self-funder Perry Johnson, who has spent over $20 million on TV ads blanketing the airwaves, is at 23 percent, and Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt trails with just four percent. The Republican pack, which is whittled down by one, with Pastor Ralph Rebrandt losing an appeal to the Michigan Supreme Court to get on the primary ballot after it was determined he did not have enough signatures. “A lot of people in the party are very angry with James for leaving his (House) seat at risk of flipping, and he’s very aloof at events and leaves them very early,” said one Republican. “He doesn’t mingle at these Republican events. It’s like shooting fish in a barrel. If he’s not going table-to-table, he’s missing a huge opportunity,” which Cox and Nesbitt are taking advantage of. As for the contest against Benson, the same politico said, “If it’s John James or Mike Cox, Republicans will have a chance. But not if it’s Perry Johnson.”
