Poll Shows John James and Gary Peters in ‘Virtual Tie’ After Republican Hauls in $3 Million

 

A new poll from the Lansing-based Marketing Resource Group shows Sen. Gary Peters in a close race with Republican candidate John James, who lost to Sen. Debbie Stabenow by six percentage points in the 2018 midterms.

Still a year out from the 2020 election, the poll has Peters with 43 percent of the vote and James with 40 percent, while 17 percent said they were still undecided.

Peters had a higher name recognition, but James had a slightly higher favorability rating than the incumbent senator. According to the results, 75 percent of likely voters were familiar with Peters while 20 percent had a favorable opinion and 15 percent had a negative opinion.

Sixty-four percent of likely Michigan voters said they were aware of James with 22 percent having a favorable opinion of the Republican and 10 percent holding a negative opinion.

“John James’ campaign against Senator Stabenow in 2018 appears to have propelled him into a virtual tie with Senator Peters in 2020,” Tom Shield, senior advisor for Marketing Resource Group, said in a press release. “This is certainly shaping up to be one of the closest watched US Senate races in the country next year.”

The poll surveyed 600 likely Michigan voters between October 7 and October 10 with a sampling margin of error of plus-or-minus four percent.

James’ campaign recently released its third quarter fundraising numbers, which showed the young Republican raised more than $3 million from 30,000 donors. His campaign reported having more than $3.8 million in cash on hand. Sen. Peters raised $2.5 million in the third quarter.

James was enthused by the grassroots support for his campaign, noting that 77 percent of contributions were of $50 or less. James, who has been called the future of the Republican Party by President Donald Trump, is also donating five percent of campaign contributions to charities throughout Michigan.

“I am grateful to my nearly 30,000 low-dollar supporters who have given so generously,” James said in a statement. “I think that our strong low-dollar fundraising this quarter shows that Michiganders are excited to see a bit of light and compassion infused into this very dark and divisive political landscape. Action and authenticity are resonating.”

– – –

Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].