Russ Feingold (left), Sen. Ron Johnson (right)
Democrat Russ Feingold expanded his lead in Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race, according to the latest Marquette University Law School Poll.
Feingold, who is in a rematch for the seat he lost to Republican Ron Johnson in 2010, saw the gap between the two candidates jump by about three-points from a poll released in late August. According to the poll released Wednesday, Feingold led Johnson 47 percent to 41 among likely voters and 46-40 among registered voters. In the last poll, Feingold led 48-45 among likely voters and 46-42 among registered voters.
When the poll included Libertarian candidate Phil Anderson, Feingold saw his lead fall to just five points among likely voters, with the Democrat at 44 percent, Johnson at 39 percent, and Anderson at seven percent. The numbers marked a one point drop for Feingold compared to the last Marquette poll.
Feingold’s campaign said the poll reflects the consistent lead he’s held in the race because of his work to prioritize “the concerns of middle class and working families across Wisconsin. Wisconsinites know that instead of protecting corporations and multi-millionaires like Sen. Johnson has done for years, Russ actually listens to Wisconsin’s families and will fight for their needs.”
Reacting to the results, Johnson campaign spokesman William Allison said “This race remains as tight as ever and as Wisconsinites realize that Senator Feingold says one thing and does another on every single issue, we are confident that they will choose to support a manufacturer from Oshkosh instead of a 34-year career politician.”
The poll of 667 likely voters was conducted September 15th through 18th, with a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.8-percentage points.