A Public Policy Polling Michigan poll released this morning shows Obama with what I think we can call a comfortable lead in Michigan, 48 to 39. As regulars here know, MI has been discussed as one of McCain's best hopes of stealing a Kerry state, and the lack of a Democratic primary (and Obama campaigning) there had been cited as potential disadvantages for Obama.
Although it is only June (standard necessary caveat), that is looking increasingly unlikely.
(Full results in pdf format here.)
573 LV, +/-4.1%, poll taken 6/21-6/22.
The other good news is that the tiresome idea that Hillary Clinton voters (aka "hard working white voters") are going to find a fellow traveller in John McCain. The vast majority of them are, it seems, going to come back home to the Democratic Party, which should surprise no one, but we all know what happens when the SCLM and/or the blogosphere gets hung up on a meme.
Unity! (pdf)
Michigan is the first state where PPP has found Obama doing a better job of keeping
Democrats in the party (78-12) than McCain is of keeping Republicans in the fold (74-
19).
“Every new poll PPP does in a swing state provides more evidence that talk of long term
Democratic disunity because of the drawn out contest between Barack Obama and
Hillary Clinton was over blown,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling.
“Those voters are almost all now supporting Obama.”
Obama leads among independents in MI 40-36 and among white voters 44-42.
The poll also shows that Carl Levin's bid for re-election is almost assured (he's crushing his GOP opponent Jack Hoogendyk 54-32, leading even among Republicans).
-- Stu