New poll numbers show Michigan's independent streak

  A new poll by Public Policy Polling is giving President Barack Obama the edge in Michigan over Republican challenger Mitt Romney — at least for now. Nationally, they're locked in a virtual tie and it's likely that Michigan's numbers will also seesaw leading up to the Nov. 6 election.
  But it's the other numbers in the poll about the U.S. Senate race between incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow and Republican Pete Hoekstra, and the job approval ratings of Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, that show the independent streak of many Michigan voters — and the difficulty in predicting with certainty the outcome of close elections in Michigan.

Before the Nov. 6 election, there's just one little housekeeping item....

  And that's on Sept. 5, when Republicans in Michigan's current 11th Congressional District will pick a nominee to succeed U.S. Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, the Livonia Republican who quit Congress abruptly in July, forcing a special election to fill his seat for a matter of weeks from the Nov. 6 election to the end of the year.

Races to watch: A whole bunch

  There's many races to watch today, dozens of ballot questions and a couple hundred candidates on the ballot, but there's none so compelling as these: