Debbie Stabenow

As he continues to consider a Senate run, Kid Rock got some bad news that a new poll shows him trailing Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow significantly in a potential race in Michigan.

The poll, conducted by Marketing Resource Group, shows Kid Rock, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, trailing Stabenow by 18 points. That is a sizable difference from other polls, such as one from August that showed Ritchie with an 8-point deficit. 

Musician and potential Michigan Senate candidate Kid Rock is registering voters at his shows in Detroit.

The musician, whose real name is Robert Ritchie, posted on Twitter that he would be registering voters during his stint at Detroit’s Little Caesar’s Arena, where he is performing six concerts.

Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., could give President Donald Trump a run for his money. Or at least fellow “Saturday Night Live” alums Kevin Nealon and Dana Carvey think so.

“Will Al Franken run for president?” Nealon asks Carvey on his Twitter video series “Hiking With Kevin.”

Senate Democrats said Wednesday they would “vehemently oppose” the appointment of Sam Clovis Jr., President Donald Trump’s nominee for a top scientific post at the Department of Agriculture, potentially dovetailing with unrelated reservations already expressed by a key Senate Republican.

Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer of New York and Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii cited Clovis’ rejection of climate science and his “extremist views” on race and homosexuality in a press release. They called for the immediate withdrawal of his nomination as USDA undersecretary for research, education and economics.

A new poll shows a majority in three Rust Belt states that helped propel Donald Trump to the White House disapprove of the job he’s doing.

The Marist/NBC News poll released Monday found 55 percent of residents in Michigan disapprove of Trump’s job performance while 36 percent said they approve. In Pennsylvania, 52 percent say they disapprove while 33 percent approve. And in Wisconsin, Trump’s disapproval rate was at 56 while approval was 33.

The first research physicist ever elected to Congress, Vernon J. Ehlers was known for his legislative work to bolster scientific research and education, raise fuel economy standards, and protect clean air and water.

Ehlers, who represented Western Michigan in Congress for nearly two decades, died Tuesday at the age of 83. His death was confirmed by the Zaagman Memorial Chapel in Grand Rapids, which did not immediately indicate the cause of death, The Detroit News reported.

Robert Ritchie may end up challenging Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow in Michigan next year, but his stage name, Kid Rock, may not be allowed to appear on the ballot.

Kid Rock is a household name to Americans under the age of 50, and voters might be attracted to vote for him, as a middle finger to the political establishment. But it’s not immediately clear whether his famous stage name would appear on the ballot or if he’d be required to run under his less-known given name. 

The Republican effort to repeal President Barack Obama’s signature health care law may have stalled, but lobbyists are pushing the GOP to continue to target the provisions the industry most despises: the law’s taxes.

House and Senate Republicans hope to push forward on a tax overhaul when Congress returns in September, an item they previously delayed in favor of health care. Repealing the 2010 health care law and its corresponding taxes would have helped simplify the GOP’s upcoming work, but those hopes were deflated when the Senate did not pass a repeal bill last month.

President Donald Trump nominated former Rep. Pete Hoekstra to be ambassador to the Netherlands last week, but some of his views, as well as his ties to Trump, are being poorly received in the liberal nation.

The Dutch government will need to approve Hoekstra’s nomination, and the U.S. Senate will need to confirm it before he takes office.

Kid Rock, the rap rock musician and outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump, tops the field Republican Senate field in Michigan, according to a new poll, but he trails Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow.

Considering Rock, or Robert Ritchie as he was born, hasn’t yet declared his candidacy in the race, Stabenow’s 8-point lead in a hypothetical matchup will likely add fuel to his possible candidacy. Ritchie took 33 percent in the Target-Insyght poll, compared to his closest rival, businessman and veteran John James, who had 16 percent. (James filed to run last month.)