A new Marquette Law School poll released Wednesday found Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tony Evers closely trailing incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker.
The poll found Walker leading with 47 percent support among likely voters compared to Evers’ 46 percent support. Libertarian candidate Phil Anderson received 5 percent.
Marquette Law School defines likely voters as those who say that they are certain to vote in the November election.
Since Marquette Law School’s previous polling in September, Walker gained support by 3 percent, while support for Evers went down by 3 percent among likely voters.
Among all registered voters surveyed in the poll, Walker still received 47 percent and Evers trailed at 43 percent. While partisans strongly support either Evers or Walker, independents prefer Evers.
The poll reported a split in job approval under the Walker administration, with 48 percent of registered voters saying they approved of his governorship while 47 percent disapproved. Respondents were less split on his 2016 presidential run, with 65 percent saying they disapproved.
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In the race for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat, incumbent Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisconsin, leads with 53 percent of support among likely voters. Republican opponent Leah Vukmir, R-Brookfield, holds 43 percent of the vote.
Forty percent of Wisconsin registered voters said they think the state is “off on the wrong track.” Still, 67 percent of registered voters said they are “very enthusiastic” about voting in this year’s elections.
Marquette Law School also asked poll respondents about other contentious issues in the state, like public school spending, Act 10 and Foxconn.
According to the poll, 57 percent of voters said they would rather increase spending on public schools than reduce property taxes. Support for additional spending on public schools has increased since polls conducted in 2013.
Seven years after its passage, Wisconsin voters are still divided on Act 10 — a budget bill proposed by Walker in 2011 that restricted collective bargaining for most public employees — with 43 percent of voters saying they would like collective bargaining to be restored and 43 percent saying they want to keep Act 10 as is.
Voters also criticized the value of the Foxconn plant. Forty-eight percent of respondents said the state is paying too much for the plant. But when asked if the Foxconn plant would substantially improve Milwaukee’s economy, 61 percent agreed.
