Challengers Mandela Barnes and Tim Michels both saw post-primary bumps in the first Marquette University Law School Poll since they won their parties’ nominations for U.S. Senate and Governor.
Fifty-one percent of registered voters surveyed backed Barnes, the Dem lieutenant governor, in the U.S. Senate race over Republican Ron Johnson, who was favored by 44 percent.
Meanwhile, 45 percent supported Dem Gov. Tony Evers, while 43 percent backed Michels, a GOP construction exec. Independent Joan Beglinger, a nurse from Cross Plains whose platform aligns with the views of many Donald Trump supporters, was at 7 percent.
Poll Director Charles Franklin said the difference between the U.S. Senate and guv contests was largely driven by independent voters.
Barnes had slightly more crossover support from Republicans than Evers. But he had a 14-point advantage among independents at 52-38. Evers had a 4-point edge at 41-37.
The latest poll also found the enthusiasm gap between Republicans and Dems has largely disappeared.
Eighty-three percent of Republican registered voters said they are absolutely certain to vote, while 82 percent of Dems and 66 percent of independents said the same.
This poll of 811 registered voters was conducted Aug. 10-15. Seventy-five percent were reached via cell phone and 25 percent by landlines. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.2 percentage points. Franklin said this is the first sample to include cell phone numbers for those who live in Wisconsin but have out-of-state area codes. They make up about 16 percent of the state.