A Marquette University Law School poll released Thursday shows falling approval ratings for Gov. Scott Walker and unfavorable numbers for him in a potential 2016 presidential race against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Forty-one percent of those polled approve of the job that Walker has been doing, eight points lower than in October 2014. Fifty-six percent say that they disapprove of Walker’s job performance, up from 49 percent last fall.
Walker’s budget has much to do with his falling ratings, as 78 percent of people disapprove of his $127 million cut to K-12 funding. Seventy percent oppose the $300 million cut to the UW System.
The poll also explored opinions on possible candidates for the 2016 presidential election, with 62 percent saying that they would not want to see Walker run. However, 64 percent of Republicans or leaning Republicans said they would support a Walker campaign.
In a speculative Clinton/Walker matchup, Clinton leads Walker 52 percent to 40 percent, with 76 percent of Democrats or leaning Democrats finding Clinton favorable.
“Election matchups at this point show us where candidates are lining up at the start of the race,” said Charles Franklin, professor of law and public policy and director of the Marquette Law School Poll. “The eventual outcome, of course, depends on how they actually run the course.”
With former Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold potentially seeking his old seat in 2016, 54 percent support Feingold, while incumbent Sen. Ron Johnson trails with 39 percent. Nine percent of those polled did not express a preference.
The poll was conducted over telephone from April 7 to 10, interviewing 803 registered voters in the state. The margin of error was 3.5 percent.
