Mary Burke and Governor Scott Walker (PHOTO: Jackie Johnson, file)
There’s been little change in the race for Wisconsin governor, with incumbent Republican Governor Scott Walker and Democratic challenger Mary Burke still neck and neck in the latest Marquette University Law School poll.
According to the results released Wednesday, Walker leads 48-44 among registered voters, while Burke leads 49-47 among likely voters. Both results are within the margin of error for the samples and showed very little change from the last poll conducted in July. Poll director Charles Franklin noted that “the last three months of the governor’s race have been remarkably flat. None of these changes from month to month are statistically significant, and none of the margins is statistically significant.”
It’s a fact reflected in other questions about the race for governor. When asked which candidate they thought would be the most effective at helping the state create jobs, respondents split 45-45 between Burke and Walker. The approval rating for the governor also drew an equally divided response, with 47 percent say they approve of the job he’s doing and 47 percent saying they disapprove.
For the first time, the poll looked at the race for Wisconsin’s attorney general, now that the Democratic field has dropped down to a single candidate after the primary this month. It found that both candidates have a long way to go when it comes to reaching voters, with 82 percent of respondents saying they don’t know enough about Democratic nominee Susan Happ to have an opinion about her and 87 percent saying the same about Republican Brad Schimel. Happ is the Jefferson County district attorney and Schimel is the D.A. in Waukesha County.
Even among voters who had an opinion on the candidates, the race gives only a weak edge to Happ. When respondents were asked who they would support, 40 percent of registered voters indicated Happ and 33 percent said Schimel, while 24 percent were undecided. Among likely voters, Happ lead 42-32, with 23 percent still undecided.
The poll of 815 registered voters and 609 likely voters was conducted between August 21st and 24th. It has a margin of error among registered voters of +/- 3.5 points and 4.1 points among likely voters.