Marquette Poll: Feingold Maintains Lead Over Johnson In U.S. Senate Race

Democrat Russ Feingold has maintained his lead over Republican Ron Johnson in the contest for Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate seat this fall, according to the latest Marquette University Law School poll.

Feingold is trying to regain the Senate seat he held for 18 years until he lost to Johnson in 2010. The Marquette poll conducted late last week shows Feingold with a 12-point lead among people saying they are registered voters. The Democrat has lost just 1 point from his January margin.

But pollster Charles Franklin said he expects the race to draw closer.

“Stay tuned, for more rock ’em, sock ’em action as the election year ramps up,” he said.

Franklin said the Marquette poll shows Feingold and Johnson supporters ready to duke it out on the issue of filling the U.S. Supreme Court vacancy. Seventy percent of Feingold backers want Senate hearings soon and a vote this year. Sixty-five percent of Johnson supporters say wait for 2017.