MADISON, WI (WMTV) – With less than a month until election day, a new poll reveals that independent voters are shifting their support in favour of the Republican candidates in Wisconsin’s top two elections this fall.
Both GOP nominees, Sen. Ron Johnson and gubernatorial opponent Tim Michels, exceeded the 50% barrier among all likely voters in the poll and took the lead in their respective contests.
According to the poll, Michels leads among independent voters in Wisconsin by seven points.
The Republican challenger leads incumbent Gov. Tony Evers by three points, with each candidate claiming nearly unanimous support within their respective parties. Johnson continues to lead Democratic competitor Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes by an additional 10 points among independent voters, giving him a five-point advantage over Barnes in a head-to-head contest.
The results of a Marquette Law poll taken little over two weeks ago similarly point to close elections in Wisconsin this fall.
It reversed the findings of the AARP poll conducted on Thursday in the race for governor, giving Evers a three-point lead. Johnson was ahead in the Senate race, although by a small margin, according to MU pollsters.
The fact that all four candidates are obtaining favorability ratings that are lower than their overall support in the election may cause some voters to hold their noses when they cast their ballots come November. Additionally, each of them had underwater favorability ratings.
Johnson, for instance, had the greatest popularity rating (48%) but half of likely voters said they disapproved of him in the poll.
No matter which party they identified with, potential voters told pollsters they were quite likely to cast a ballot this year. At least nine out of ten respondents believed both Democrats and Republicans were very motivated this November. This percentage drops to 83 percent among independents.
Only roughly a quarter of voters who were asked how they felt about the direction of the nation and the state said that they thought both were headed in the right path.
Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research performed the survey on behalf of AARP. .
In a poll, independents favour Michels and Johnson in the Wisconsin elections.
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