Sen. Gary Peters Gary Charles PetersHillicon Valley: Subpoenas for Facebook, Google and Twitter on the cards | Wray rebuffs mail-in voting conspiracies | Reps. raise mass surveillance concerns Postmaster general says postal service can't return mail-sorting machines The Hill's Campaign Report: Trump faces backlash after not committing to peaceful transition of power MORE (D-Mich.) leads his Republican 2020 challenger, John James, by single digits, according to a poll released Monday.

An Emerson College poll of Michigan's Senate race next year found Peters leading James by 6 percentage points, 46 percent to 40 percent, a distinct improvement for the incumbent, who was nearly tied with James, 44 percent to 43 percent, in the same survey in March.

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One issue that could weigh Peters down in the general election is a poor approval rating in the poll for Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D). Thirty-eight percent of voters disapprove of the job Whitmer is doing, while 31 percent approve and 27 percent have no opinion.

When asked the most important issue for their vote, the most popular choice among respondents was the economy at 27 percent, followed by health care at 21 percent.

Whether Peters should vote to convict President Trump Donald John TrumpFederal prosecutor speaks out, says Barr 'has brought shame' on Justice Dept. Former Pence aide: White House staffers discussed Trump refusing to leave office Progressive group buys domain name of Trump's No. 1 Supreme Court pick MORE if he were impeached by the House divides Michigan voters, with 47 percent of voters saying they supported such a measure compared with 43 percent who oppose it.

Emerson's poll contacted 1,051 registered voters in the state with a credibility interval of 3 percentage points between Oct. 31 and Nov. 3.