Obama leading Mich. by 14 points (hints of down-ticket gains)

[Bozita]

Source: Detroit News

Friday, October 24, 2008
Obama leading Mich. by 14 points
Poll: Gains may help Dems running for Congress as McCain loses ground.
Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau

Barack Obama and other Democrats are poised for significant gains in Michigan, with a large lead in the presidential race and hints of an edge in contests farther down the ballot, the latest Detroit News-WXYZ Action News poll shows.

With less than two weeks until Election Day, Obama leads Republican presidential nominee John McCain by 14 points, 51 to 37 percent, according to the survey of likely Michigan voters by Lansing's EPIC-MRA polling firm. That's up slightly from a 10-point lead a month ago, and is the first time in The News/WXYZ 2008 polls that Obama has cracked 50 percent.

Obama's lead, and McCain's decision to pull out of Michigan to channel his resources elsewhere, may be working to the benefit of other Democrats -- known in political circles as a "coattail" effect -- the tendency for a popular candidate to attract votes for other candidates of the same party in an election.

Voters are more likely, by a 9-point margin, to say they plan to vote for a Democrat for Congress. By smaller margins, voters favor Democrats for state House and local races. Sen. Carl Levin continues to hold a run-away lead in his re-election bid. And state Supreme Court Chief Justice Clifford Taylor, one of Democrats' top targets for months, appears in some danger.

Read more: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081024/POLITICS01/810240372

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Can you say "watershed," boys and girls?

[kestrel91316]

1. 14 points? Wow, that's really close. I'm scared.

[4lbs]

2. Good luck trying to steal Michigan, Republicans.

n/t

[Kokonoe]

3. The first time I voted in MI was chad challenging.(Carter 2nd term))

I was 18 and wanted to vote for the democrat. After waiting an hour, I was allowed to go to any machine open. I pushed the stylus into the democratic hole, but it wouldn't go all the way in.
It was plugged. I turned to the poll workers and a uniformed officer to exasperate my WTF. They all looked amused.
I took my card to the next "machine", and it did the same thing. Disappointed but still believing in the voting system
I turned in my card thinking the dent would show my vote.

[blue_onyx]

4. Good news!

I've thought Obama would win by about 15% so this poll seems to confirm my prediction.