Former presidential candidate Herman Cain is joining Republican U.S. Senate candidate Pete Hoekstra during stops in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Ypsilanti and Troy.
The Thursday campaign swing is intended to boost Hoekstra with tea partiers. Cain suspended his campaign Dec. 3 amid allegations of sexual misconduct, but remains popular with those voters.
Hoekstra currently leads seven other Republicans vying to take on Democratic incumbent Debbie Stabenow. But he may have a ways to go to catch his Democratic opponent.
An NBC News/Marist Poll released Wednesday showed 53 percent of 3,149 registered voters in Michigan backed Stabenow, compared with 32 percent for Hoekstra. Fifteen percent were undecided. Other candidates weren't included.
The telephone poll was conducted Sunday and Monday. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points.