Wide open race -- 75% undecided for Michigan Supreme Court

The hotly contested race for Michigan Supreme Court may be headed into ugly territory with Election Day just two weeks away.

A statewide poll by Denno Research has found that more than 75 percent of Michigan voters say they are unsure which candidates to back in the election for the high court.

That level of indecision, combined with numerous misleading campaign ads, could spell trouble.

At the PR firm of Lambert, Edwards & Associates, which commissioned the poll, they’re offering assurances that the undecided vote is traditionally very high in state Supreme Court elections.

“In the Michigan Supreme Court races, voters traditionally wait until nearly the last minute to make up their minds, and our poll bears that out,” said Jeff Lambert, president and managing partner of LE&A. “As the races heat up and more money is spent on television ads, the candidates’ identities and what they represent should become clearer in voters’ minds.”

In the race for two 8-year terms, Democrat Bridget Mary McCormack and Republican Colleen O’Brien, both running for the high court for the first time, have leads that cannot be considered anything but tentative.

the backing of more voters than incumbent Republican Justice Stephen Markman  or Democratic candidate Connie Marie Kelly.

O’Brien captured nearly 11 percent of the vote, while McCormack garnered an even 10 percent. GOP incumbent Stephen Markman came away with just over 6 percent while, Democratic challenger Connie Kelley captured nearly 9 percent.

Third party candidates gained less than 1.5 percent support and 76 percent of voters say they remain undecided.

In a second race for a Supreme Court seat currently held by Republican Justice Brian Zahra, the incumbent and Democratic candidate Shelia Johnson are essentially tied at 9 percent to 9.5 percent, respectively. Zahra was appointed to the Supreme Court by Gov. Rick Snyder in 2011 after Justice Maura Corrigan stepped down to become director of the Michigan Department of Human Services. Zahra and Johnson are running to serve the last two years of Corrigan’s term. However, 78 percent of voters remain undecided on this seat.

“This survey is further proof that when voters are unfamiliar with candidates they tend to vote for female candidates for judge,” said Dennis Denno, CEO of Denno Research. “These two races are wide open and this survey shows that control of the Michigan Supreme Court is wide open.”