Wisconsin governor race tightest in the nation

WASHINGTON — The race for governor in Wisconsin — featuring incumbent Gov. Scott Walker, who is often mentioned as a potential Republican presidential candidate — remains locked in a dead heat, the state’s leading pollster reported Wednesday.

Walker became a hero to many conservative Republicans and the target of a Democratic recall effort after he won passage of legislation early in his tenure that curtailed collective bargaining rights for public employee unions.

His victory in the recall campaign catapulted Walker into the top ranks of Republican political figures, and he has made little secret of his interest in a possible presidential bid. The state’s sharply polarized politics have been carefully watched by analysts as an indicator of national trends.

Before running for higher office Walker must face voters in November, and the outcome remains very much up in the air, according to the latest Marquette Law School Poll, which has a strong record of forecasting elections in one of the nation’s most closely divided states.

The latest poll shows Walker narrowly trailing his Democratic challenger, Mary Burke, among those most likely to vote, with 49 percent for Burke and 47 percent for Walker. But among all registered voters, Walker has the lead, by a similarly narrow 47 percent to 44 percent. The race has been locked in a dead heat all summer, making it the tightest gubernatorial contest in the nation.

Unlike most other states, Democrats have a slight edge in Wisconsin in the percentage of their partisans saying they are “certain” to vote in November, the poll showed. The two sides were equal in enthusiasm about voting, again a contrast with the GOP edge in most of the country.

The state’s voters remain sharply divided over Walker, with 48 percent having a favorable view of him and 48 percent unfavorable. Overwhelmingly, by 68 percent to 28 percent, voters say he is “able to get things done” — his signature claim. But voters don’t necessarily like what he does. Half the state’s voters say he does not “care about people like you,” with 45 percent saying he does care.

Burke, a former state official and an executive at the Trek bicycle company, which her family owns, is less well known than Walker, but also has roughly equal numbers viewing her favorably or unfavorably.

The Democrat has avoided refighting the union issue, which dominated the recall campaign in 2012. Instead, she has hammered at Walker’s record in improving the state’s economy, saying he has failed to meet the goal he set of creating 250,000 jobs in his first term. Walker now takes credit for having created about 100,000 jobs.

The poll indicates Burke has gained some traction on the jobs argument. Nearly half the state’s voters, 48 percent, say Wisconsin is “lagging” other states in job creation, a number that has grown noticeably during the summer.

The Marquette poll was conducted Aug. 21-24. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points for the full sample of registered voters and 4.1 percentage points for the subset of respondents deemed most likely to vote.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

The view of Mountain Loop Mine out the window of a second floor classroom at Fairmount Elementary on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County: Everett mining yard violated order to halt work next to school

At least 10 reports accused OMA Construction of violating a stop-work order next to Fairmount Elementary. A judge will hear the case.

Imagine Children's Museum's incoming CEO, Elizabeth "Elee" Wood. (Photo provided by Imagine Children's Museum)
Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett will welcome new CEO in June

Nancy Johnson, who has led Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett for 25 years, will retire in June.

Kelli Littlejohn, who was 11 when her older sister Melissa Lee was murdered, speaks to a group of investigators and deputies to thank them for bringing closure to her family after over 30 years on Thursday, March 28, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘She can rest in peace’: Jury convicts Bothell man in 1993 killing

Even after police arrested Alan Dean in 2020, it was unclear if he would stand trial. He was convicted Thursday in the murder of Melissa Lee, 15.

Ariel Garcia, 4, was last seen Wednesday morning in an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Dr. (Photo provided by Everett Police)
Search underway to find missing Everett child, 4

Ariel Garcia was last seen Wednesday morning at an apartment in the 4800 block of Vesper Drive.

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.