5 Key Findings From The Latest Marquette Poll

​​The latest Marquette Law School Poll suggests Republican Donald Trump’s national momentum may be carrying over to Wisconsin, while on the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders is gaining ground on Hillary Clinton.

The poll results also speak to enduring problems for both Gov. Scott Walker and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, the latter of whom is currently in the middle of a re-election bid against former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold.

Here are five key findings from Marquette’s survey:

1. Donald Trump is leading in the GOP presidential primary.

He’s polling at 24 percent support, trailed by Marco Rubio at 18 percent and Ted Cruz at 16 percent. Ben Carson was down to just 8 percent after leading the field with 22 percent in November.

2. Hillary Clinton still tops the Democratic field, but her lead has narrowed dramatically.

That lead is actually well within the poll’s margin of error: Among Democratic voters, 45 percent said they’d support Clinton compared to 43 percent for Bernie Sanders. In November, Clinton led Sanders 50-41 percent. Marquette also asked people who they’d vote for in hypothetical head-to-head general election matchups. In those contests, Sanders outperformed Clinton, thanks in part to his support from self-described independent voters.

Presidential Candidate Support

3. Feingold has a considerable lead over Johnson in the rematch of their 2010 race for U.S. Senate.

The former Democratic senator had 50 percent support, compared to just 37 percent for Johnson. The poll also found that more than five years into his term, 41 percent of respondents didn’t know enough about Johnson to have an opinion. That’s up from 35 percent in November.

Ron Johnson vs. Russ Feingold, Polling Since April 2015 (Marquette)

4. Gov. Scott Walker’s low approval numbers have not budged.

Just 38 percent of respondents said they approved of the job he’s doing in office, compared to 57 percent who disapprove. The poll also found that 61 percent of respondents do not want Walker to seek a third term, identical to the Marquette poll’s November results.
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Walker Approval Ratings, 2014 Through The Present (Marquette)

5. The poll had some interesting findings on gun policy opinions.

​It showed 85 percent in favor of background checks for gun shows and private sales, along the lines of what President Barack Obama called for in his recent executive order. In addition, 63 percent of respondents said they favor Wisconsin’s concealed carry law, although just 31 percent favored a plan being circulated at the state Capitol that would let people carry concealed guns on school grounds.

The survey was conducted over the phone Jan. 21 through Jan. 24, and featured a sample of 806 registered voters throughout the state. The margin of error is plus or minus 4 percent for the full sample and 6.5 percent for the primary results.