President Barack Obama still leads challenger Mitt Romney by 11 points in Wisconsin, while Rep. Tammy Baldwin's, D-Wis., lead over Tommy Thompson shrunk to just four points in the U.S. Senate race, according to the latest Marquette University Law School Poll released Wednesday.
An MU poll taken in mid-September showed Baldwin with a much more commanding lead, 50-41, compared to this poll, which shows the Madison congresswoman only ahead of Thompson 48-44.
In the presidential race, Obama continued to lead Romney 53-42, compared to 54-40 in the mid-September poll.
Professor Charles Franklin, who conducts the poll, said decided voters are providing a solid base for both parties and shifts in voting preference among independents accounts for the different results.
“In August, independents leaned a bit Republican in the Senate and slightly Democratic for president,” Franklin said in a statement Wednesday. “In mid-September, they leaned strongly Democratic in both races, and now they are swinging back to a more competitive balance.”
The poll also suggested a large gender gap in both the Senate and presidential contests. While Romney leads among men 49-44 percent, 61 percent of Wisconsin women supported the president and only 36 percent support Romney. Baldwin had the support of 54 percent of women compared to 38 percent for Thompson.
The margin of error for the overall sample of 1,000 registered voters was plus or minus 3.2 percent. Of the 1,000 surveyed, 894 said they are likely to vote this November.
