GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, continues to pull away from Republican challenger Tudor Dixon in the polls about two months before the election, a trend echoed by the other Democrats who hold Michigan’s top executive offices.

An EPIC-MRA poll released Thursday morning shows that if the general election were held immediately, 55% of respondents would vote for Whitmer (a five-point gain since an August poll), while 39% would vote for Dixon (no change since August). Six percent were undecided.

Those polled were split on Whitmer’s job performance: 49% gave her a positive job rating and 49% a negative rating. Two percent were undecided or declined to answer.

In the race for Michigan attorney general, 48% said they would vote for Democratic incumbent Dana Nessel and 39% for Matt DePerno. Thirteen percent were still undecided. In August, that race was in a statistical dead heat, but Nessel now has a lead well outside the four-point margin of error.

Incumbent Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, also enjoys a comfortable 14-point lead in front of her Republican challenger Kristina Karamo. Of those surveyed, 51% said they would vote for Benson and 37% for Karamo. Twelve percent were undecided. In August, Benson’s lead was six points.

The general election is Nov. 8.

ABORTION BALLOT QUESTION

Now confirmed to be on the November ballot and labeled Proposal 3, the Reproductive Freedom for All constitutional amendment that would, among other things, ensure rights to abortions continues to see strong support. Sixty-four percent of those polled said they would vote for it. Twenty-seven percent said they would not. Nine percent were undecided or declined to say.

In August, 67% said they would vote for the proposal and 24% said they would not, but the differences between then and now are within the polls’ margins of error, so the results are statistically identical.

Of those polled, 33% said they were pro-life and 60% identified themselves as pro-choice.

Proposal 2 would institute a number of election reforms, including but not limited to adding nine days of early in-person voting, requiring the state to fund absentee ballot drop boxes and pay for absentee application and ballot postage, requiring military or overseas ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by election day and requiring canvass boards to certify election results based only on the official records of votes cast.

Seventy percent of people polled said they would vote yes on the proposal and 20% said they would vote to reject it. Ten percent were undecided or declined to say how they would vote.

Asked what they thought the most important issue in Michigan was, 24% said it was abortion. Twenty-four percent said it was controlling inflation, 10% said it was the economy and jobs, 10% said it was education and 8% said it was the roads. Other things people were concerned about included gun violence, health care, controlling government spending, combating crime and drugs, and the environment.

Sixty-four percent of people polled said they would vote in person at the polls on Nov. 8 and 32% said they intended to vote absentee. Four percent were undecided or refused to say how they would vote.

THE POLL

EPIC-MRA surveyed 600 people between Sept. 15 and Sept. 19. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4%.

Of those polled, 43% called themselves Democrats and 41% Republicans. Twelve percent said they were independents. The remainder identified otherwise, were undecided or declined to say.

Eighty-one percent of respondents identified themselves as white, 11% as Black, 2% as Hispanic or Latino, 1% Asian and 1% Native American. Two percent identified as mixed race. Two percent declined to identify their race.

Thirty percent of those surveyed were 65 or older, 32% were between the ages of 50 and 64, 20% were between the ages of 25 and 49 and 18% were 18 to 34.