Trump trails top Democratic candidates in Michigan, with Bernie Sanders surging

Feb 20, 2020 at 3:18 pm
click to enlarge Bernie Sanders speaking at Cass Tech High School in October. - Steve Neavling
Steve Neavling
Bernie Sanders speaking at Cass Tech High School in October.

The top Democratic candidates are leading President Trump in hypothetical, head-to-head matchups in Michigan, with Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg leading the pack, according to a new poll.

The Quinnipiac survey, which was released Thursday, is significant because Trump won Michigan in 2016, albeit by a razor-thin margin. The poll also shows the president trailing the top five Democratic candidates in Pennsylvania, which Trump also won. But in the battleground state of Wisconsin, Trump holds a comfortable lead.

In Michigan, Trump trails Bernie Sanders and Mike Bloomberg by 5 percentage points each, Joe Biden by 4 points, Elizabeth Warren by 2 points, and Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar by 1 point.

The results are similar to a Glengariff Group poll in January, which showed the five Democrats edging out Trump in Michigan. The most glaring difference between the two polls is that Sanders and Bloomberg have taken the top spots against Trump. Sanders' lead over Trump climbed 1 percentage point, while Bloomberg's dropped a point. In January, Biden held the biggest lead at 7 points.

The Quinnipiac poll also showed that 54% of Michigan voters said they disapprove of Trump’s handling of his presidency.

In Michigan in 2016, Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by roughly 10,000 voters, or 0.25 percent of all ballots cast. It was the first time a Republican candidate won the presidential election in Michigan in nearly 30 years.

In the 2018 midterm elections, Democrats came roaring back, winning two Republican-held districts.

The poll surveyed 845 registered voters in Michigan between Feb. 12-19. The margin of error for the poll is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Stay on top of Detroit news and views. Sign up for our weekly issue newsletter delivered each Wednesday.