Democrats may have been snickering about Kid Rock’s political aspirations just days ago, but they may want to temper their excitement.
A new poll shows that rock, rap, and country star Kid Rock, is leading his Democratic opponent in a hypothetical match up for the United States Senate seat in Michigan.
Rock, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, leads 16-year incumbent Debbie Stabenow by a 30-26% margin in a poll conducted by Delphi Analytica.
While it is a sign that Ritchie would be a formidable opponent, it’s important to note the large number of undecideds. That large number could be for a variety of reasons ranging from a likely crowded Republican field, to it being very early in the stages of any campaign.
Still, when asked to choose between Ritchie and Stabenow exclusively, respondents said they’d cast their vote for the rock star, 54-46%.
Via Delphi Analytica:
Debbie Stabenow is the incumbent Democratic Michigan senator who is scheduled to defend her seat in 2018. Ritchie intends to run as a Republican who would likely have to defeat a crowded primary field to challenge Stabenow.
To gauge Ritchie’s chances in a hypothetical general election matchup, Delta Analytica conducted a poll from July 14-18 of 668 Michigan residents. Of respondents who stated a preference between Debbie Stabenow and Robert Ritchie, 54% stated they would vote for Ritchie while 46% said they would vote for Debbie Stabenow. These results could indicate that Ritchie is a popular figure in Michigan, Debbie Stabenow is unpopular, or some combination of concurrent trends. The relatively large, 44%, number of undecided respondents may be due to the early stages of the campaign.
Remember when Michigan was considered part of the Democrats impenetrable ‘blue wall?’
Now we have President Trump smashing it down and Kid Rock possibly about to walk right over the shattered remains.
If you think “Sen. Kid Rock” is impossible, I have one q for you: did you sleep through the last 2 years? Cause boy do I have news for you.
— Kristen S Anderson (@KSoltisAnderson) July 23, 2017
Kid Rock ignited fierce speculation over a Senate run earlier this month when he tweeted a US Senate sign.
I have had a ton of emails and texts asking me if this website is real… https://t.co/RRVgISDFeq The answer is an absolute YES. pic.twitter.com/uYCUg6mjW1
— Kid Rock (@KidRock) July 12, 2017
He followed that up with insistence that his aspirations of a Senate run were legitimate, even posting a sneak peek of his platform.
https://t.co/RRVgISDFeq pic.twitter.com/zPDlqeHzJl
— Kid Rock (@KidRock) July 17, 2017
A Michigan-based GOP consultant declared shortly thereafter that Ritchie would be “the prohibitive favorite” if he were to enter the race.
These latest poll numbers may not reflect that exactly, but they have to give Democrats pause – After a crushing defeat by President Trump in November, they still don’t know when to take their Republican opponents seriously.
Do you think Kid Rock can win the Senate race in Michigan? Share your thoughts below!
