An unofficial poll taken at the state Republican Party convention in La Crosse puts Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, who has announced a run for governor, in the lead against other prospective Republican gubernatorial candidates.
The poll, conducted by WisPolitics, asked 423 convention delegates and guests which candidates they would choose to be the Republican Party's nominees for governor and lieutenant governor if the primary were held at that moment.
Walker received 395 votes, and Mark Neumann, a former Wisconsin congressman who has said he plans on running for governor, received 25.
Of the prospective candidates for lieutenant governor, Dave Ross, mayor of Superior, had the most support with 147 votes, and state Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, received 109 votes. Neither has officially declared that he will be running.
UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said polls like this one correctly reflect the sentiment of people who attend the convention, but Walker is the only visible GOP candidate at this point, which is still very early in the race.
""What these results show is that the people who filled out the ballots have heard of Walker, they think he would be a credible candidate and they're excited about it, but really opposition has not made itself felt,"" Franklin said.
Neumann, who nearly beat U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., in his bid for the Senate seat in 1998, may still have many supporters in the Republican Party but will have to re-establish himself in the party, especially among younger people, Franklin said.
Meanwhile, Gov. Jim Doyle has not announced a bid for re-election, likely because he has no reason to start early and does not want problems with the budget to be associated with his campaign, according to Franklin.
The poll, conducted Friday and Saturday, was not endorsed by the Republican Party of Wisconsin.
