The decision by Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) to step down when his term ends at the end of next year probably didn’t have anything to do with his re-election prospects if a poll released Friday is any indication.
According to the latest survey from Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling — conducted before Levin’s announcement on Thursday — the 78-year-old incumbent was in a strong position to win a seventh term in 2014.
In all five matchups tested by PPP, Levin bested all would-be Republican challengers by double-digit margins. The Republican who fared the best against Levin was Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI), who trailed the Democrat by 11 points. Because of the timing of Levin’s announcement, PPP did not test any other potential Democratic candidates.
The poll found Levin with an approval rating of 45 percent while 37 percent said they disapproved of his job performance.
