Poll Finds 45% of Michigan Voters Reject Muslim Candidate

A Washington Post poll of Michigan voters has revealed that 45 percent would not consider voting for a Muslim presidential candidate, a finding that drew sharp criticism from CNN anchor Dana Bash during a broadcast segment. The poll, conducted by the Washington Post and the Schar School between September 10 and 14, surveyed 803 likely Michigan voters with a margin of error of 3.9 percentage points. During a panel discussion on the U.S. Senate race between Democrat Abdul ElSayed and Republican Mike Rogers, Bash highlighted the statistic and called it "just gross." The poll also found that 46 percent of respondents would not consider voting for an atheist candidate, 20 percent for a Jewish candidate, and 7 percent for a Christian candidate. The survey results were presented in the context of a tight Senate race. The poll showed ElSayed with 48 percent support and Rogers with 45 percent, a statistical dead heat given the margin of error. Additionally, 53 percent of respondents preferred Democratic control of the U.S. Senate, while 45 percent preferred Republican control.