LANSING -- The Detroit News once called Bill Ballenger “Michigan’s undisputed crown prince of pundits.” Ballenger has been a state representative, state senator and even worked for a governor. Wednesday, the now publisher of the “Inside Michigan Politics” newsletter weighed in on this year’s race for the top job in the state.
“I think the Republicans have a chance,” the Flint-native said. “Some say a batter-than-ever chance to win the governor’s office back this year, for the first time in eight years.”
This comes as a new poll from Rasmussen Reports gives U.S. Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Holland) a lead with 27 percent of the vote, followed by Ann Arbor businessman Rick Snyder at 18 percent and Attorney General Mike Cox with 13 percent of the vote. 32 percent of voters were undecided in this poll.
Ballenger said Snyder was the first to start running ads, beginning during the Super Bowl. He said it is a likely reason for Snyder’s surge.
“He’s moved up dramatically in the polls, from below single digits to a 3 way tie between AG Mike Cox and Pete Hoekstra, the Congressman from West Michigan, so that’s interesting,” he said.
On the Democratic side, Lansing Mayor Virg Bernero picked up the sweeping endorsement from the AFL-CIO, while the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council backed House Speaker Andy Dillon. Some call the AFL-CIO a major endorsement, but Ballenger said that alone may not put Bernero over the top.
“Virgil Bernero has never been higher than 3rd or 4th in any poll that has been done so far,” he said. The polling firm EPIC/MRA is expected to release new numbers later this week.
