A poll of 600 voters conducted Jan. 31 to Feb. 4 by Lansing-based EPIC/MRA shows 71 percent of Republicans favor a second DeVos run.

Overall, a DeVos encore is opposed by 52 percent of voters and favored by 38 percent -- equaling the 14-point spread by which he lost to Granholm last November, when the final tally was 56-42. Granholm is prohibited by state law from seeking a third term in 2010.

"Could Dick DeVos win another Republican primary? Probably yes," said pollster Ed Sarpolus of EPIC/MRA. "But that's just the entry fee. The big prize is the general election, and roughly the same number of Republicans who voted for Granholm last fall are saying to DeVos, 'Don't do it again.'

"This poll suggests he'd still have a lot of work to do with his own base."

John Truscott, a spokesman for DeVos, said the former candidate hasn't ruled in or out another run for governor. He said DeVos' popularity among Republican voters likely reflects their disappointment with the start of Granholm's second term.

"Will Michigan be more ready for a businessman to lead the state in four years? That's a question for another day," he said.

Among independent voters, 36 percent back a DeVos reprise, while 48 percent are opposed. Only 10 percent of Democrats support another DeVos gubernatorial candidacy, while 78 percent are against it.

DeVos, the multimillionaire former Amway executive who is finance chairman of the Michigan Republican Party, shattered state campaign spending records last year when he plunked down $41.6 million in the governor's race, including $35.3 million of his own fortune.