Biden leads Trump in Michigan: poll

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden leads President Trump in the battleground state of Michigan, according to a new poll. 

The former vice president has an 8-point lead over Trump, with 49 percent support from Michigan registered voters compared to Trump’s 41 percent support,  according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday. 

Trump narrowly won Michigan in 2016, and it’s one of several key states the Democratic National Committee has announced it is focussing on as part of its “Battleground Build Up 2020 program.” 

The same poll found that 63 percent of Michigan voters said they approve of the job Gretchen Whitmer (D) is doing as governor, and 35 percent said they disapprove. 

Just 47 percent of Michigan voters said they approve of the job Trump is doing as president, and 51 percent said they disapprove. 

Trump last week defended protestors in Michigan demonstrating against Whitmer’s statewide stay-at-home order that shutters nonessential businesses and limits social gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Trump tweeted calls to “liberate” Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia, three 2020 battleground states with Democratic governors. 

Biden confirmed earlier this month that he’s considering Whitmer as a potential running mate. He has committed to choosing a woman to put on the ticket. 

In the Fox News poll, a Biden-Whitmer ticket beat a Trump-Vice President Mike Pence ticket, though Whitmer on the ticket did not add to Biden’s lead over Trump in Michigan. The Democratic ticket had 49 percent support, and the incumbent Republicans had 43 percent support, based on the poll. 

The Fox News poll surveyed 801 Michigan voters and was conducted between April 18-21. There is a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.