One week after abandoning his presidential aspirations, Gov. Scott Walker's approval rating has fallen to 37 percent in Wisconsin, according to the most recent Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton remain the presidential front-runners in Wisconsin, while former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold has opened up a double-digit lead over U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., in an upcoming rematch for the seat Johnson won from Feingold in 2010.
Walker approval continues to drop
The rating marks Walker's lowest since the school began conducting the poll three years ago and is a one percent drop from a poll released in August.
In addition, almost two-thirds of the respondents—62 percent—said they would not support Walker running for a third term and 59 percent expressed outright disapproval of the job Walker is doing.
A spokesperson for the governor declined to comment on the falling poll numbers specifically, but said that Walker is focused on continuing to improve the state.
“Governor Walker's top priority is working hard for the people of Wisconsin and making sure everyone has access to good-paying, family-supporting jobs,” spokesperson Laurel Patrick said in an email to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Trump, Clinton top presidential candidates in Wisconsin
Following Walker’s exit from the presidential race last week, business mogul Donald Trump has assumed the top spot among Wisconsin Republicans. Twenty percent of respondents said they would support Trump, followed by former neurosurgeon Ben Carson at 16 percent and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at 14 percent.
On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton maintained a 12-point lead over Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 42-30. Vice President Joe Biden, who has not decided if he will run, checked in at 17 percent.
Clinton leads Trump in a hypothetical general election matchup 50-36.
Feingold extends lead over Johnson in Senate race
Democratic challenger Russ Feingold extended his lead over incumbent Ron Johnson, with the poll giving Feingold a 14-point lead. This marks an increase over August’s numbers, where Feingold saw his lead dwindle to five points.
Poll Director and Marquette University Law School professor Charles Franklin cautioned that both senate candidates are still relatively unknown to voters with over a year to go before the election.
“Only 55 percent of registered voters are able to say if they have a favorable or unfavorable view of both candidates,” Franklin said in a press release. “Nineteen percent are unable to rate either candidate. This is a recipe for volatility until the campaign moves into full swing.”
The poll interviewed 803 Wisconsinites in late September and has a four percent margin of error for the full poll.
