Obama rebounds to 6-point lead in Michigan

President Obama has rebounded in Michigan, improving on a tenuous 1-point lead in June to open a 6-point advantage in a survey released Wednesday.

The poll for the Detroit Free Press and WXYZ-TV found that were the election held today, 48 percent of likely voters would choose President Obama, versus 42 percent. That's a significant bump from the 46-45 percent lead in June, and means the president might not have to spend significant time and resources playing defense in the Upper Midwest.

“President Obama seems to be capitalizing more on Mr. Romney’s missteps than on anything he has done on his own," said Bernie Porn, the president of EPIC MRA, the Michigan polling firm that conducted the survey, in a statement. "Romney’s first foray into international public policy has not gone smoothly.”

The poll also found that Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) continues to have the inside path for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination — but that he will face a tough challenge against incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D).

Hoekstra leads Detroit-area businessman Clark Durant 51-27 percent, a commanding lead.

"Hoekstra’s 24 point lead clearly shows Clark Durant has done too little, too late in this campaign," said Porn. "He should have been advertising and introducing himself to the public much earlier.”

But Stabenow holds a 49-35 percent lead in a hypothetical head-to-head with Hoekstra, a 3-point improvement from the June survey.

The presidential and Senate head-to-head polls carry a margin of error of 4 percent. The GOP Senate primary poll has a 3.5 percentage point margin of error.

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