Democratic challenger Mark Schauer has gained ground on Gov. Rick Snyder in Michigan’s gubernatorial race as a majority of voters say the Republican incumbent has reduced education spending, according to a new statewide poll reported by Chad Livengood in the Detroit News.
Snyder still leads Schauer 42 percent to 39 percent — which is within the margin of error of plus-minus 4 percentage points — but the governor’s track record of increasing overall education funding by $1 billion during his three years in office isn’t resonating with voters, according to the poll commissioned by the bipartisan public relations firm Lambert, Edwards & Associates. The results were released exclusively to the News.
When the statewide sample of 600 likely voters was asked whether they think Snyder has increased or decreased education spending, 53.8 percent said K-12 school spending has decreased, while 18 percent said it has risen. Another 24 percent were unsure.
“In a poll like this, we don’t measure the truth — we measure the perception. And in this case, perception is reality,” T.J. Bucholz, senior director of public affairs for Lansing-based Lambert, Edwards & Associates, said of education funding.
