New Marquette poll shows state incumbents lagging in favorability

Wisconsin’s incumbents face challenges with the 2022 elections about a year away, according to a new statewide poll from Marquette Law School released Wednesday. 

The poll found a greater number of unfavorable than favorable views for all seven officials in the survey — including Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis. 

Among Wisconsin voters, 40% said they would vote to reelect Evers, and 53% said they would vote for someone else. Evers’ job approval dipped since it was last measured, down to 45% approval from 50% in August. 

A few Republicans are running or considering running against Evers in 2022, including former Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch. 

For Johnson, 38% said they would vote to reelect him, and 52% said they would vote for someone else.  

Sen. Ron Johnson has not yet announced whether he will run for re-election. If he decides not to run, other Republicans may run to replace him, including Kevin Nicholson. A large field of Democrats have lined up to challenge Johnson, a group that includes Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes. 

Poll director Charles Franklin said it was “remarkable” that in the same set of responses, voting to re-elect a Democrat and a Republican were both at or below 40%.

“I think this reflects that it’s a challenging political environment for politicians generally and for incumbents specifically,” Franklin said. “The people enthusiastic about supporting either Evers or Johnson is well below 50% right now.” 

Registered voters were also asked about how President Joe Biden is handling his job as president. Biden’s job approval rating was 43%, down from 49% in August.

The poll also asked voters about statewide issues, including the multiple reviews of the 2020 election, redistricting and vaccines. 

Voters’ confidence in the accuracy of the 2020 election in Wisconsin has changed little since August, though responses show partisan divides. Sixty-four percent of Republicans said they were not confident in the 2020 election and 99% of Democrats said they were confident. 

Majorities of both Republicans and Democrats said they have not heard enough to have an opinion about a review of the 2020 election headed by former Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. Fifteen percent of Republicans said they approve of Gableman’s review and 37% of Democrats said they disapprove. 

Half of respondents overall said they have not heard enough about another review conducted by the Legislative Audit Bureau. Fifty-eight percent of Democrats said they thought the report showed the election was largely safe and secure, while 30% of Republicans said it raised doubts about the election. 

Voters were also asked how the redistricting process should be conducted. Sixty-three percent of respondents said redistricting should be conducted through a nonpartisan commission with little partisan differences. 

Voters were evenly divided on whether they supported a federal requirement that companies with over 100 employees would require vaccinations or weekly testing, a mandate the Biden administration announced Thursday.  

Of respondents who have not yet received a vaccine, 56% said they will definitely not get the vaccine and 18% said they probably will not get it. Seven percent said they will definitely get vaccinated and 15% said they will probably get the vaccine. 

---