The results of the latest Marquette Law School Poll, released July 23, show the Wisconsin governor’s race is still in a dead heat. Democrat Mary Burke leads Gov. Scott Walker 47% to 46% among likely voters (those who say they are certain to vote). That compares to May, when Walker led Burke 48% to 45%.
Walker has the support of 46% of registered voters compared to Burke’s 45%. In May, those numbers were even at 46%.
Not surprisingly, the votes followed along political lines, with 93% of Republicans favoring Walker and 88% of Democrats supporting Burke.
Fewer independents selected Walker over Burke this time around, with 45% favoring Walker and 44% favoring Burke. In May, independents chose Walker over Burke 49% to 40%.
Perhaps Burke’s biggest challenge is name recognition. Forty-nine percent of those surveyed said they either hadn’t heard enough about Burke or don’t know if they have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of her. That’s down from 51% in May and from 70% when she announced her candidacy last October.
With regard to Walker’s handling of state affairs, 47% approve of Walker’s job as governor, while 48% disapprove. Yet 54% of voters say Wisconsin is headed in the right direction, compared to 41% who disagree.
The poll surveyed 804 registered Wisconsin voters who were contacted between July 17 and 20. The margin of error for the survey as a whole was +/- 3.5 percentage points, while the margin of error for the 549 respondents identifying themselves as likely voters was +/- 4.3 percentage points.
Respondents identified themselves as Republicans (24%), Democrats (30%), and independents (41%). Among likely voters in July, the breakdown was 25% Republicans, 32% Democrats, and 38% independents.
