GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The majority of Michiganders give Gov. Gretchen Whitmer a positive rating for how she’s handling the coronavirus pandemic, a new EPIC-MRA survey of likely voters shows.

Of the 600 people surveyed between May 30 and June 3, 55% gave the governor positive marks for her job overall while 43% gave her a negative rating.

When it comes to the pandemic, 60% of those surveyed approved of Whitmer’s response. President Donald Trump earned a 41% approval rating for his response to the pandemic, with 58% of those polled giving him a negative rating.

Voters were almost evenly split about whether Michigan is heading in the right direction, but 61% gave the state economy a negative rating. The outlook for our nation wasn’t any rosier, with 63% saying the country overall is on the wrong track.

POLITICAL FAVORITES

Whitmer was also the most popular among five political figures including Trump, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden, Democratic Sen. Gary Peters and Republican John James, who is running for U.S. Senate. Whitmer’s favorability rating was 57%.

While 45% of those surveyed gave Peters a positive rating, the 22% who didn’t recognize his name could tip the scales the other way. Voters were virtually split over how much they liked Biden and James when the 4% margin of error is factored in.

Opinions of Trump tipped the other way, with 56% holding an unfavorable opinion of him and his work as president.

WILL TRUMP WIN AGAIN?

A total of 51% surveyed said they would vote to replace Trump in the November election, while 38% backed reelecting him. If voters had the choice between Trump and Biden, 53% said they would vote for Biden compared to 41% for Trump.

James could make it a tight race for Peters if he can capture undecided voters. While 51% of those surveyed said they would vote for Peters, 13% were undecided.