Things looking up for DeVos heading into election

Detroit Free Press:

Michigan Republicans entered the last 24 hours of campaign 2006 Monday touting fresh evidence and anecdotes that all is not lost.

Despite weekend polls that showed their top of the ticket candidates - Dick DeVos for governor and Michael Bouchard for U.S. Senate - trailing badly to incumbent Democrats Jennifer Granholm and Debbie Stabenow, party leaders cited a new poll from East Lansing-based Mitchell Research that showed both challengers easily within striking distance.

DeVos was down 46%-44%; Bouchard 47%-43%, in the Mitchell poll, conducted Wednesday and Thursday last week, and Sunday night.

... GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis also released a report on the party’s absentee voter program which he said could provide the difference in a close race. Anuzis said more than 600,000 absentee ballots were requested across the state in 2006, and that 435,252 have been returned so far. Of that total, nearly 62% were from voters the party has identified as Republicans or Republican-leaning.