Poll Shows Attorney General Candidates Are In Dead Heat

A new Marquette University Law School poll shows that the race for Wisconsin attorney general remains very close, and that a lot of people still don’t know much about the candidates.

The poll found that Republican Brad Schimel and Democrat Susan Happ are tied at 41.5 percent among likely voters, with about 16 percent of the vote still up for grabs. However, those 83 percent with their mind made up apparently include many people who really don’t know much about Schimel, the current district attorney of Waukesha County, or Happ, the current district attorney of Jefferson County.

Pollster Charles Franklin said that some people just vote along party lines.

“If you’re a partisan and if the parties are really different from each other, it’s not necessarily such a bad way to make up your mind in terms of knowing, ‘Who am I likely to agree with?” said Franklin. “It becomes a problem when it leads to shortcuts that mean people are missing vital information.”

Overall voter knowledge of Happ and Schimel is slightly better than two weeks ago, but still about three-quarters of voters said they don’t know much about either.

Franklin said people can learn more about Happ and Schimel through the attorney general debates that have started this week. He also expects the candidates will begin spending more on advertising soon.