Two republican candidates are expected to make visits to the Blue Water Area this week – with Bill Schuette scheduled to speak to the Blue Water Area Chamber of Commerce today and U.S. Senate hopeful John James holding a meet and greet at Harsens Island Brewery in Marysville tomorrow. Recent polling numbers in the race for governor in Michigan show both Attorney General Bill Schuette and Gretchen Whitmer holding their leads as front runner in their respective party’s primaries. According to the latest EPIC-MRA poll, Schuette leads with 42%, with Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley in second with 24%, Metro Detroit State Senator Patrick Colbeck with 11%, and Saginaw area doctor Jim Hines with 8%. In the U.S. Senate primary, EPIC-MRA’s Bernie Porn says John James has a narrow 39% to 38% lead over Sandy Pensler. Both are Metro Detroit area businessmen. On the Democratic ticket, Gretchen Whitmer is emerging as the leader with 49%, followed by businessman Shri Thanadar at 22%, and Detroit Health Director Abdul El-Sayed 19%. Michigan’s August 7th primary is considered a closed primary, which means you must cast your votes completely within your party’s section of the ballot. Primary voters can not “split their ticket” by selecting both republican and democratic candidates.
