On Wednesday, July 13th, the Marquette Law School released their latest poll, finding Hilary Clinton as Wisconsin’s current front runner in the race for president. Despite her current legal troubles, the former Secretary of State has a strong six-point lead over Republican candidate Donald Trump. The poll, which was conducted between July 7-10th, shows Clinton with 43 percent of the vote and Trump trailing with 37 percent.
Though the numbers continue to look good for Clinton, a recent announcement could change the tides among likely voters. On July 12th, Senator Bernie Sanders ended his race for president, declaring his support for Clinton. While many are predicted to back Clinton as the new Democratic front runner, others are finding it difficult to support their once rival candidate, leaving only three other options; Donald Trump, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson, and Green Party candidate Jill Stein.
As the candidate field dwindles and the general election draws near, likely voters are beginning to pick sides. Last poll, 17 percent of voters said they would vote for neither candidate, but in July, only 11 percent said they would not choose. The drop in numbers appeared as a gain in candidate percentages, Clinton picked up one point while Trump gained two. The shift in points keeps Clinton in the number one spot but threatens her lead as there is no clear idea which candidate undecided voters will choose.
A little closer to home, Senator Ron Johnson continues to trail Democratic candidate Russ Feingold in the polls. The current senator sits 7 points behind Feingold, an increase from last month’s poll which had Johnson behind by only 4 points. Both candidates continue to work hard vying for the seat, but as the general election inches closer, fan favorite former Senator Russ Feingold continues to widen the gap.
Governor Walker’s approval rating continues to decline as the poll shows 58 percent of voters do not believe he is handling his job, up one percent from last month. The constant decline in numbers for the Governor could hurt Trump’s chances in Wisconsin as well as some republicans down ticket. The Governors overall approval rating is currently 38 percent, down one point from June.
The Marquette Poll continues to be the most extensive statewide poling project in Wisconsin. In July, they interviewed 801 registered Wisconsin voters with a +/- 4.1 margin of error. To read the poll in its entirety, visit the Marquette Law School website by clicking here.