New Poll out indicates tight race for Governor of WI

[WI_DEM]

Madison -- Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett are locked in a tight race for governor, according to a new poll by a pro-Barrett group.

The poll shows Walker, the Republican, with 45% of the vote and Barrett, the Democrat, with 42% of the vote. The difference is within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The poll of 600 likely voters was conducted Sept. 15 and 16 by the Mellman Group Inc. for the Greater Wisconsin Political Fund, a group that has been running ads against Walker.

The Journal Sentinel independently obtained a copy of the poll shortly after Rasmussen Reports and Public Policy Polling released polls that showed Walker with a wider lead.

The Greater Wisconsin poll makes the case Barrett is on an upward trajectory while Walker’s support has leveled off. Walker has held the same level of support in polls conducted by Greater Wisconsin in April and July. Barrett went from 38% to 42% during that time.

Barrett has made the most gains in areas where Greater Wisconsin and Barrett’s campaign have concentrated their ads. Walker held an 18 point lead in Green Bay in July, but now holds a 2 point lead there, according to the poll. Barrett holds a 1-point advantage in La Crosse and Wausau.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/103554589.html

Barrett holds a substantial lead over Walker in the heavily Democratic Madison market -- 48% to 33% -- but he is known to only 62% of voters there. That gives him more room than Walker to gain support, the poll says.

[saltpoint]

1. I'd like to see Tom Barrett win this one big. He's a good

soul and his opponent is a far-Right kook.

These numbers are encouraging, especially if Barrett's support "is on an upward trajectory"

Thank you for putting this up for us.

Recommended.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

2. Barret is going to win....

He's going to take Milwaukee - Madison by a wide margin. The critical areas will be Green Bay, Oshkosh and Eau Claire. Green Bay and Oshkosh have been a mixed bag (Clinton won in '96 and Obama won in '08), but Eau Claire County has been reliably Democratic (only Reagan in '84 and Nixon in '72).

While Walker will get the rightwing lunatic vote (and there's plenty of them up there), it seems to me that the more moderate voters are going to gravitate toward Barrett. Walker comes across as inexperienced, smarmy, and frankly looking to win his next election. Barrett is a name they know better, and the fact that he took on a thug with his bare hands gives him some "street cred" with the good old boys.

[saltpoint]

6. HI, Jeff. Well I appreciate that analysis -- it sounds

like you know your stuff. I did read Barrett's "street cred" incident -- that was a true act of citizenship. I can see where it would influence people's sense of his character.

Agree with you totally on Walker. There's a serious creepazoid factor at work in that guy.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

7. Last Summer....

He and his family were walking back to their car after a day at the Wisconsin State Fair when they came across some guy attempting to assault is ex-girlfriend's mother. When Barrett pulled out his cell phone to call police, the guy went after the Mayor with a pipe. Really did some damage.

[recadna]

3. it is never a good sign when you own poll shows you are trailing

[catgirl]

4. Barrett is a real hero

He was severely beaten when he saved a screaming woman from being attacked by
her drunk boyfriend (or husband).

[Cha]

5. KR

http://www.barrettforwisconsin.com/