POLL PUSHERS

Polling for the governor’s race for ‘26 is beginning to reveal the haves-and-have-nots as both money and backers coalesce behind certain candidates – and are leaving others out in the winter cold. What is coming into clearer focus is that outgoing Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, long a Democrat but running as an independent for governor, could play the spoiler for Democrats – and potentially win the contest, if you believe the bucketful of endorsements he is carting around, from unions to the Detroit Chamber of Commerce. Insiders report that even longtime Republican and former three-time Michigan Governor John Engler is impressed, telling those within earshot that Duggan could “win this whole thing.” A recent poll by Atlanta-based researchers at Rosetta Stone, released by Michigan Information & Research Service (MIRS) shows Democrat Jocelyn Benson with 58 percent of the support of Democratic primary voters, Garlin Gilchrist with 15 percent, and Chris Swanson with just 6 percent. On the Republican side, John James leads the pack with 44 percent, Mike Cox with 13 percent and Aric Nesbitt, 6 percent. The poll predicted that if former gubernatorial candidate Tudor Dixon runs, she would prevail over James, 33 percent to 25 percent. A top Republican insider said with absolute certainty, “Tudor Dixon is not running.” As an independent, Duggan will not run in a primary, but is believed to pull from both sides of the aisle, although he is predicted to hurt Democrats more than Republicans. In the general election next November, Benson led Cox by four points, while Dixon held a slim edge over Benson. James led Benson by five points. Each matchup included Duggan, who drew roughly 18 -19 percent. An internal poll from Duggan’s campaign, however, shows Duggan in a statistical tie with each of the leading Democratic and Republican candidates.

Mike Duggan