Denise Ilitch, whose father owns the Little Caesars pizza franchise and Detroit's pro hockey and baseball teams, would be an instant frontrunner for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in Michigan should she seek the job, a new EPIC-MRA poll finds. But the same poll shows several established Republican candidates are strong early favorites to win back the office, with Attorney General Mike Cox the GOP frontrunner.

Democratic Primary Election Matchup
Ilitch 23
Peters 9
Dillon 8
Stupak 6
Bernero 6
Kildee 6
Other 4
Und 38

Republican Primary Election Matchup
Mike Cox 32
Hoekstra 25
Bouchard 16
Snyder 3
George 2
Und 22

General Election Matchups
Cox 50 -- Bernero 28
Cox 48 -- Ilitch 30
Cox 47 -- Dillon 30

Hoekstra 40 -- Dillon 32
Hoekstra 45 -- Bernero 27
Hoekstra 42 -- Ilitch 35

Democrats are scrambling for a candidate after Lt. Gov. John Cherry announced he was abandoning his bid. With the family fortune and a recognizable name, Ilitch has been approached by many and even met with White House officials to discuss a bid.

President Obama has just a 41 percent job approval rating among voters statewide, and 58 percent disapprove. Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D), who is term-limited, has a 32 percent positive rating, while 68 percent rate her performance negatively. Each primary subsample was 400 likely voters, with a margin of error of +/- 4.9%. The general election sample was 600 registered voters with a margin of error of +/- 4%.

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