Gretchen Whitmer Disputes Polls Showing Harris Leading Trump by 5 Points in Michigan: "It's Not Accurate"

Gretchen Whitmer, the Democratic governor of Michigan, strongly refuted polls indicating that Vice President Kamala Harris was significantly ahead of former President Trump, stating, "It's simply not accurate."

Whitmer stated on Thursday at the Texas Tribune Festival that seeing a poll showing a five-point lead for Kamala Harris in Michigan makes her nervous, as she believes it's not accurate.

Whitmer stated that the race would be very close, but they believed they could win it.

This week, a CNN poll revealed that Harris leads Trump by five points.

"Michigan currently has Kamala Harris and Donald Trump on the ballot, along with three other candidates. CNN did not test for this, according to Whitmer. Therefore, she advises people not to become complacent and to remain vigilant in Michigan."

The CNN poll showed that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had 4% support, while the Libertarian and Green Party candidates had 1% and 0% respectively.

During the 2016 election, Stein had a significant impact on third-party candidates, according to Whitmer.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton lost to Donald Trump by 11,000 votes. Jill Stein was also on our ballot and earned more than 11,000 votes.

The governor was asked what makes Michigan such a swing state.

"Michigan is a diverse swing state with both strengths and challenges. The auto industry brought people from various backgrounds, including the South and the Middle East, to the state for jobs at Ford Motor Company and General Motors. This diversity has been a strength, as it has allowed Michigan to thrive economically and provide a good quality of life for its residents. However, it also presents challenges, as the state must balance its diverse population while maintaining its identity as a swing state."

Our population grew over the years due to various factors, which makes us a microcosm of the country.

In Michigan, we take big swings in our political affiliations. We've had 12 years of a Republican governor, followed by eight years of a Democrat, then eight years of a Republican, and finally eight years of a Democrat. This makes us a state that is known for being independent and often splits our ticket.

The governor stated that having robust dialogue and diverse perspectives has been a great strength of their team over the years. However, he acknowledged that with the increasing pressures in political rhetoric and social media, it is becoming more challenging to find common ground. This is a concern for the governor.

Trump has a history of outperforming the polls on Election Day.

In 2020, despite the RealClearPolitics average of polls in Michigan showing President Biden leading Trump by more than four points, he ultimately won by less than three points. In 2016, the RealClearPolitics average of polls in Michigan had Clinton leading Trump by nearly four points, but Trump ended up winning by just 0.3 points.