Clinton stumbling in Democrat-friendly Michigan

Hillary Clinton’s lead in Michigan, regarded as a strong state for the Democratic nominee, is slipping.

Clinton is ahead of Donald Trump, 38-35 percent, in a new Detroit Free Press/WXYZ poll. Michigan has voted Democratic in every presidential election since 1992. Libertarian Gary Johnson had 10 percent support, while the Green Party’s Jill Stein had 4 percent.

Trump’s gains have included white voters and men. Clinton was ahead by 2 last month while Trump now is ahead by 8. Clinton had a slight edge among men in August, but Trump is now up 5. Her backing in union households was down 8 points, while Trump’s was up 8.

Clinton also plunged with 18 to 34 year old voters. Her 24 point lead has shrunk to 7.

Even among African-Americans, a strong Clinton constituency, she slipped. Clinton is now up 74-2. Last month she was ahead 85-2.

“The race is tightening a lot in Michigan,” Bernie Porn, pollster for Lansing, Mich.-based EPIC-MRA, which conducted the survey, told the Detroit Free Press. “It may be a function of the timing of the survey and her health questions, (but) there has been a shift toward Trump. Whether it’s going to be a permanent shift is yet to be determined.” Clinton left the campaign trail briefly this week after contracting pneumonia.

The poll was conducted Sept. 10-13, when controversy erupted over Clinton saying half of Trump’s backers belonged in a “basket of deplorables.” She later said she did not mean to use the term half.

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 8:27 AM with the headline "Clinton stumbling in Democrat-friendly Michigan."