Voters in Michigan have a slightly less gloomy view of the economy but strongly disapprove of the job Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm is doing. Right now at least Republicans have an even chance of regaining the governor’s mansion next year in a state that has been trending blue of late.

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Michigan voters finds 37% who would vote for an unspecified Republican candidate for governor versus 36% who favor an unnamed Democrat. Twenty-seven percent (27%) are undecided.

Men like Republicans more, women prefer Democrats. Support for the GOP candidate is highest among voters ages 30 to 64.

Voters not affiliated with either major party prefer the Republican candidate by a more than two-to-one margin, but 55% of those voters are undecided. Married voters also go for the Republican by nearly two-to-one compared to unmarrieds.

Granholm is term-limited and cannot seek reelection next year. There are already a number of announced candidates from both parties in the race. Rasmussen Reports did not identify any of the candidates in its question but merely asked voters to select a party preference.

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Yet while the national debate over health care reform is causing Democratic candidates problems in many parts of the country, especially among voters who already have such coverage, there appears to be little or no impact on the Michigan governor’s race. Voters who have health insurance are almost evenly divided between two parties. As is generally the case nationwide, those without health insurance favor Democrats.

Voters in Michigan are almost evenly divided over the health care plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats. Forty-five percent (45%) favor it, but 48% oppose it. Unlike in many other states – and nationally, emotion is also fairly evenly divided: 30% Strongly Favor the plan, while 38% Strongly Oppose it.

Nationally, 45% of voters support the plan, and 51% oppose it.

Just four percent (4%) of Michigan voters rate the U.S. economy as good or excellent. Sixty-nine percent (69%) say it’s poor. Still, this markets an improvement from August when two percent (2%) said the economy was good or excellent, and 79% thought it was poor.

Twenty percent (20% now say the economy is getting better, but more than twice as many (45%) disagree and say it’s getting worse. Thirty percent (30%) see the economy as staying about the same.

More than one-out-of four voters (28%) in the state say they are at least somewhat likely to move out of Michigan, with 13% who say they are very likely to do so. But 67% say that a move as unlikely, with 39% saying it’s not very likely and another 28% saying it’s not at all likely for them.

Forty percent (40%) approve of Granholm’s performance as governor, while 60% disapprove. But those who don’t like the job the governor is doing feel much more strongly about it: Those who strongly disapprove outnumber those who strongly approve by a 47% to 18% margin. The governor’s numbers have been steadily worsening in surveys since the spring.

Still, voters are more inclined to blame state legislators more than the governor – 42% to 31% - for failure to reach a budget agreement by October 1. Twenty-one percent (21%) say the economic crisis is at fault.

Michigan voters overwhelmingly oppose a number of revenue ideas under consideration, including allowing bars to open earlier and stay open later if they pay additional fees, opening more casinos in the state and imposing a three percent tax on doctors’ gross receipts.

Obama carried Michigan over Republican John McCain last November with 57% of the vote. Fifty-two percent (52%) approve of the president’s performance, with 34% who strongly approve. Forty-seven percent (47%) disapprove of his job performance, including 34% who strongly disapprove. These findings are better than Obama's job approval rankings nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

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