By AP
DETROIT – A new poll shows the major party candidates in a tight race to succeed northern Michigan U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak, with an independent who could determine the outcome.
The Detroit Free Press poll released Monday shows Republican Dan Benishek with 42 percent, Democrat Gary McDowell 40 percent and independent Glenn Wilson 8 percent. Ten percent are undecided.
Lansing-based EPIC-MRA interviewed 400 likely 1st District voters by phone Oct. 17-18. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.
Stupak is a Menominee Democrat who's retiring.
Benishek is a tea party-backed surgeon from Iron Mountain, McDowell is a state representative from Rudyard, and Wilson is a software engineer from Rose City.