Poll: Michigan ‘Generic Republican’ Beats Gretchen Whitmer 52%-41%

A poll released Wednesday by Cygnal found a majority of Michigan likely 2022 general election voters would oust Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) in favor of a “generic Republican.”

The survey of 600 likely voters conducted June 2-6 found Whitmer has an approval rating of 41.1 percent, while 53.7 percent disapprove of the job she is doing.

Just 40.8 percent said Whitmer deserves to be reelected, while 55.5 percent said it is “time for someone new.”

As for that “someone new,” respondents would vote for a “generic Republican” over Whitmer, 52.2 percent to 40.8 percent. The survey did not test individual declared or potential candidates against the incumbent governor.

A story Breitbart News broke in May about Whitmer violating her own coronavirus orders to visit an East Lansing dive bar with at least 12 others made 55.9 percent of respondents less likely to vote for her. Just 9.6 percent said they were more likely to vote for the incumbent after her hypocritical action.

The other major scandal — the governor taking a secret trip to Florida aboard a private jet — also made voters less likely to reelect her. A slight majority of respondents — 50.1 percent — were less likely to vote for the Democrat, while 10.9 percent said the trip made them more likely to back her.

One glimmer of hope for Whitmer is that the partisan breakdown of respondents was skewed Republican. While 30.2 percent of respondents said they were Democrat and 31.2 percent identified as Independent, 36.8 percent said they were Republican.

But Cygnal said the survey “is based on a projected turnout model inline with historical midterm election voter trends.”

“While most Governors in the country – regardless of party affiliation – came out of the pandemic with strong marks for their leadership, Governor Whitmer appears to have used it as an opportunity to make voters like her less,” Cygnal CEO Brent Buchanan said in a news release.

“Heck, only 41 percent believe Whitmer should be re-elected. That’s a rough place to be seventeen months from Election Day.”

Cygnal touts itself as the Number 1 most accurate pollster, citing the New York Times and FiveThirtyEight.

Kyle Olson is a reporter for Breitbart News. He is also host of “The Kyle Olson Show,” syndicated on Michigan radio stations on Saturdays–download full podcast episodes. Follow him on Parler.