(WWJ) -- Former Detroit Police Chief James Craig currently holds a six-point lead over Gov. Gretchen Whitmer for the upcoming 2022 Michigan gubernatorial election.
That’s according to a group poll from Trafalgar, released on Tuesday.
Craig announced his run for governor earlier this month during a press conference on Belle Isle, where he was swarmed by protestors.
Despite the polarizing nature of his candidacy, Detroit’s former top cop -- who is running as a republican -- holds a 50.2% favorability rating among Michigan general election voters, according to the poll.
Meanwhile, democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's favorability stands at 44.4% among voters.
During an interview with WWJ from the Mackinac Policy Conference on Wednesday, Whitmer opted against commenting on her opponent, instead highlighting some of state’s most recent accomplishments.
“What I am staying focused on are the numbers that show we’ve got got 19% growth in personal income,” Whitmer said. “We’ve got a GDP that has outpaced all of our neighboring states. We are seeing our unemployment lower than that of the national average. And we’ve turned a $3 billion deficit into a $3.5 billion surplus, which is how we funded an incredible investment in our schools.”
“We know that not everyone has felt the benefit of some these economic statistics…and that’s why we’ve got to focus on an economy that grows the middle class, that supports small business and that invests in our communities,” she added.
For his part, Craig has been openly critical of Whitmer, and said she should be held accountable for the protest that broke out during his campaign announcement on September 14.
“We pulled a permit, we wanted to do this in a state park... we notified the local law enforcement agency who assured me, assured my staff, that ‘we know about the protesters, we will be there,’” Craig said in an interview with Tucker Carlson on FOX News. “We need to hold Governor Whitmer accountable for this. She oversees the Michigan State Police and the Department of [Natural] Resources that covers [Belle Isle]. I know this is not accidental. This is not accidental.”
Along with Craig, several other Michigan Republicans have plans to run for governor in 2022, including Mattawan chiropractor, Garrett Soldano, North Shores conservative commentator, Tudor Dixon and metro Detroit businessman, Kevin Rinke.
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