New Emerson College Poll Shows El-Sayed and McMorrow Tied in Michigan Senate Race

New Poll Shows El-Sayed and McMorrow Tied in Michigan Senate Race

LANSING — Michigan voters are split down the middle in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, with former public health official Abdul El-Sayed and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow tied at 24 percent each in a new Emerson College poll released Thursday.

The April 11-13 survey of 971 likely primary voters found El-Sayed and McMorrow locked in a dead heat, while U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham trails at 13 percent with 36 percent of voters undecided.

"There are clear generational differences in the Michigan Democratic Senate Primary," said Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball. "Voters under 40 support El-Sayed over McMorrow by a 17-point margin, 35 percent to 18 percent, while voters over 50 support McMorrow over El-Sayed by a 12-point margin, 29 percent to 17 percent."

El-Sayed, a former Wayne County health official and 2018 Democratic candidate for governor, gained eight points since the Emerson/Nexstar survey released in January. McMorrow has gained two points, and Stevens has slipped by four points.

The poll also found a close race in the Republican primary for governor to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Among likely GOP primary voters, 21 percent support Oakland County billionaire Perry Johnson and 20 percent back U.S. Rep. John James of Shelby Township. Former Attorney General Mike Cox received 10 percent support, while 39 percent remain undecided.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Jocelyn Benson continues to poll as the Democratic frontrunner for governor, with 52 percent of respondents supporting her in the gubernatorial primary. Chris Swanson had 5 percent support in the poll, while 36 percent remain undecided.

Regarding the war in Iran, voters oppose U.S. military action by a 53 percent to 39 percent margin. The poll found a sharp partisan divide, where 85 percent of Democrats and 10 percent of Republicans oppose strikes in Iran.

The poll was conducted April 11 to 13 among 971 Michigan likely primary voters, with an overall margin of error of 3.1 points. The Democratic sample of 519 voters had a margin of error of 4.3 points, and the Republican sample of 452 voters had a margin of error of 4.6 points.

Polling Details

The poll asked voters about the top issue facing the state. Forty percent answered the economy, followed by threats to democracy at 15 percent, health care at 10 percent, housing affordability and education each at 8 percent, immigration at 7 percent and crime at 5 percent.

Primary voters opposed the U.S. military action against Iran by 53 percent to 39 percent, while 8 percent remained unsure.

The survey methodology included data collection by contacting a voter list of cellphones via MMS-to-web text and an online panel of voters provided by Commonwealth Opinions Panel and PureSpectrum. Panel responses were matched to the Aristotle voter file using respondents full name and ZIP code.

The survey was offered in English and conducted via email, text and panel interviews.