The election is less than a year away, but many voters still apparently do not know much about the Democratic challenger who is expected to take on Republican Governor Scott Walker next fall.
The latest Marquette University Law School poll released Monday found that 70 percent of those responding did not know enough about former Trek Bicycle Executive Mary Burke to answer a question on whether they have a favorable view of her as a candidate. The numbers are virtually unchanged from a similar survey conducted last October
Poll director Charles Franklin says the results are actually not that surprising. While Burke has been touring the state and meeting with voters since announcing her candidacy last fall, Franklin says the major ad campaigns have not ramped up yet. He says that’s left many voters with little information about her as a candidate. Once the “advertising war” cranks up, it could change her visibility among voters.
The poll also shows Governor Walker maintaining a lead over Burke, with a 47 percent to 41 percent margin of victory in the January results. The gap widened slightly from the last Marquette poll in October, which had Walker ahead of Burke by two points.
The poll of 802 registered voters was conducted last week, with about 700 of the respondents questioned before Governor Walker’s State of the State address. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
