Wisconsin's gubernatorial race in 2010 may be a close election, according to a poll released Tuesday.
The poll, funded by the conservative think-tank MacIver Institute for Public Policy, surveyed 500 likely voters statewide on issues concerning the 2010 election as well as the state Supreme Court election April 7.
Results suggest voters are equally divided between the incumbent Gov. Jim Doyle and each of the two potential Republican candidates, former Congressman Mark Neumann and Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker.
In a race between Walker and Doyle, 50 percent of respondents said they would vote for Doyle, while 43 percent said they would support Walker. The numbers were similar for a contest between Neumann and Doyle, with 49 percent reporting in favor of Doyle and 42 percent for Neumann.
All three possible candidates have yet to officially announce if they are running.
According to Mike McCabe, director of the non-partisan advocacy group the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, it is too early to name a Republican candidate.
Currently, candidates are testing the waters and primarily communicating with party faithful,"" McCabe said.
Although 45 percent of voters polled said they are undecided in the race for Supreme Court justice, incumbent candidate Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson emerged as the leader, receiving 43 percent of the vote while challenger Jefferson County Judge Randy Koschnick received 13 percent.
Because the first TV advertisements for the court race only recently surfaced, lack of information could be to blame for the majority of undecided voters in the Supreme Court election, said Heather Colburn, campaign manager for Abrahamson.
""TV [advertisements are] an important part of targeting basically all voters in Wisconsin because not a lot of people know who their Supreme Court justices are,"" Colburn said.
UW professor of political science Charles Franklin also attributed a lack of information to Koschnick's minimal support.
""[The Supreme Court race] is a non-partisan race, and the trouble is that Koschnick is not known,"" Franklin said, adding that Koschnick's low percentage just shows voters are not familiar with his stances on issues.
In addition, the poll reported a 52 percent approval rating for Doyle. According to the survey, Doyle's strongest support comes from northern and western Wisconsin, while his lowest approval comes from southeastern Wisconsin.
