A new Emerson College poll released Thursday shows progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed opening a commanding lead over Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary, giving him a 15-point advantage just days before voters head to the polls on Aug. 4.

The survey found El-Sayed receiving 54 percent support compared to Stevens’ 39 percent, with six percent of voters still undecided. When those undecided voters were asked which candidate they lean toward, El-Sayed’s advantage widened to 57 percent to 41 percent. The winner of the Democratic primary will compete in November to succeed retiring Sen. Gary Peters, with both parties viewing the seat as one of the nation’s key battlegrounds.

Although El-Sayed was defeated by more than 20 points in Michigan’s 2018 gubernatorial race while serving as Wayne County’s health director, he enters this contest in a far stronger position. His campaign has been endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and the United Auto Workers. If elected, he would become the first Muslim to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Stevens, who has represented suburban Detroit in Congress for four terms, has secured the backing of Sen. Gary Peters, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. During their final debate this week, the candidates sharply disagreed over AIPAC funding, Israel, and socialism.

Pollsters say El-Sayed’s lead is being fueled largely by younger voters. Emerson College Polling Executive Director Spencer Kimball pointed to a pronounced age divide among Democratic primary voters.

“There is a clear age divide in the Democratic Primary: voters under 50 break for El-Sayed by 42 percentage points, 67% to 25%, and that gap tightens among voters in their 50s to a 12-point lead, and voters over 60 flip to Stevens by a 14-point margin, 53% to 39%,” Kimball said.

El-Sayed also enjoys a substantial advantage among independent voters, leading Stevens by 27 points, 60 percent to 33 percent. Among registered Democrats, however, the race is much closer, with El-Sayed holding a nine-point edge. Demographically, he leads white voters by 32 points, while Stevens performs considerably better among Black voters, who favor her by a 33-point margin.

Whitmer’s standing with Democratic primary voters has also slipped since earlier this year. The poll found that 62 percent now approve of her performance, down from 79 percent in April. Among voters who continue to approve of the governor, Stevens leads El-Sayed 49 percent to 42 percent. Those who disapprove overwhelmingly back El-Sayed by a margin of 78 percent to 17 percent.

The poll comes as Michigan Democrats head into the final stretch of a fiercely contested primary that has highlighted the growing divide between the party’s progressive and establishment factions. During a recent donor call, El-Sayed said a victory would allow him to “put one ogre on a pike” and advance the progressive movement. The Democratic nominee will face Republican Mike Rogers, who is running unopposed in the GOP primary. A separate Glengariff Group survey found Rogers holding a 10-point lead over El-Sayed in a hypothetical general election matchup.

{Matzav.com}