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Carl Marlinga has been a Macomb Circuit Court judge since 2013.
A new survey shows Carl Marlinga's lead in the Democratic primary race for the new 10th Congressional District race growing significantly, even though the Macomb County judge has yet to officially announce his candidacy.
The hike is due in good part to Sterling Heights Mayor Michael Taylor's decision not to run.
The poll by Target Insyght of Lansing, released Sunday night, shows Marlinga jump from 33 percent support last month to 63 percent in February. Mayor Taylor had 16 percent support in Target Insyght's January poll.
The latest polls shows 16 percent undecided.
"Mayor Mike Taylor's votes are going to Carl Marlinga," said Ed Sarpolus, executive director of Target Insyght, who conducted the poll.
The February poll also shows Democrat Rhonda Powell, president of the Black Business Association of Macomb, in second place in the Aug. 2 primary race with 9 percent support. Powell, who has yet to officially announce, was not included in the January poll.
The latest poll, which has an error margin of minus or plus five points, also shows Circuit Judge Marlinga with a 48-45 percent lead when matched against Republican frontrunner John James in the November general election. In January, Marlinga's lead was 46-43 percent over James.
James, who twice lost bids for the U.S. Senate, announced his candidacy in late January for the new 10th Congressional District, which encompasses parts of Macomb and Oakland counties, including Rochester Hills, Warren and Sterling Heights.
The poll last month showed James leading in the Republican primary with 68 percent support, followed by lawyer, activist and former nurse Eric Esshaki with 7 percent. Twenty-four percent were undecided.
