What They Are Saying: Gretchen Whitmer Falls Behind In Race For Michigan Dem Gov Nomination

With a new poll showing Gretchen Whitmer falling to second place in Michigan’s Democrat gubernatorial primary for the very first time, her struggling campaign is getting even more bad headlines just days after she hired her third campaign manager in less than 6 months. As party insiders have already expressed doubts about her ability to win November’s general election, Whitmer appears to be in for a tough fight just to win her party’s nomination. Here are some highlights of recent coverage:

WSGW called the poll a “surprising twist” in the race, with Thanedar leading Whitmer by 3 points:

“The Democratic gubernatorial race in Michigan has taken a surprising twist with research scientist Shri Thanadar who’s originally from India now holding a three percentage point lead over former Lansing area State Senator Gretchen Whitmer.

Thanadar’s recent commercials have helped boost his name recognition, but he believes his growing popularity stems from would be voters identifying with his efforts to overcome personal and family poverty.”

Fox’s Lansing affiliate noted that the poll was a “big change” from MRG’s last survey in September that had Whitmer leading comfortably:

Michigan News Network Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick told WSJM that this was the “first time in a legitimate poll that Gretchen Whitmer has not been in first place” and it was a sign that Thanedar’s spending on commercials “has worked:”

“A surprising turn of events in the race for governor. Polling numbers from a MRG Michigan Survey show Democratic candidate Shri Thanedar is now leading Gretchen Whitmer by three points — 21 to 18%. Michigan News Network Lansing Bureau Chief Tim Skubick told us more about the poll.

‘This is the first time in a legitimate poll that Gretchen Whitmer has not been in first place,’ Skucbick said. ‘She’s been the front runner all along. So, what’s going on? Mr. Thanedar has spent a bundle on campaign commercials, and it has worked.’”

Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press noted that the poll showed Whitmer trailing badly in Detroit, losing not only to Thanedar but also to Abdul El-Sayed:

This poll comes just days after Whitmer hired her third campaign manager in less than one year, marking the latest major staffing change as her campaign has struggled with abnormally high turnover, POLITICO reports:

“Democrat Gretchen Whitmer has hired Eric Goldman as her new campaign manager for her Michigan gubernatorial bid, Whitmer’s campaign confirmed today…

This is Whitmer’s third campaign manager. In February she fired her previous campaign manager, Keenan Pontoni, over ‘inappropriate’ workplace behavior ‘a number of years ago.’ Pontoni ran Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff’s 2017 House race in Georgia.

Pontoni succeeded Jerid Kurtz, another veteran Democratic campaign manager, about five months after Kurtz was brought on to run the campaign.

While she’s retained front-runner status through the entirety of the Democratic primary for governor, Whitmer’s campaign has seen its share of turnover. Besides cycling through multiple campaign managers, Whitmer has also replaced her lead spokesperson, Jen Eyer, with Annie Ellison, a well-regarded Democratic communications operative with roots in California politics.”