The Marquette University Law School poll released Thursday showed that while Democrat Russ Feingold still holds a lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, the gap between the two has closed considerably.
In April, Feingold held a 16-point lead over Johnson. In the most recent poll, however, Feingold only has a 5-point lead on Johnson.
Charles Franklin, who directs the poll, pointed out that the Democrat’s favorability ratings have also fallen 5 points to 47 percent. Johnson’s favorability has dipped just 1 point.
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Franklin also noted that many respondents said they don’t know enough about Johnson to have formed an opinion about him. “So I think this is a race where there’s the opportunity to see a fair bit of movement as we go forward,” said Franklin.
Franklin said most “election handicappers” see the Wisconsin Senate race as either the most competitive or one of the most competitive going into 2016.
The race would be a rematch of the 2010 senatorial race, in which Johnson defeated the three-term incumbent Feingold.
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