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Marquette Law School Poll: Trump Edges Closer to Clinton in Wisconsin

DESTINA, FOTOLIA

A new survey shows 42 percent of registered voters in Wisconsin plan to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the presidential race, while 35 percent plan to back GOP candidate Donald Trump. Seventeen percent say they won't support either candidate. Clinton's seven-point lead is smaller than the 10-point advantage she had in the previous poll, conducted in March.

The Marquette Law School Poll, conducted from June 9-12, shows that among likely voters, 46 percent favor Clinton, compared to the 37 percent who back Trump. Thirteen percent do not support either candidate.

According to the poll, both Clinton and Trump have work to do in Wisconsin, in order to secure support from a number of people in their respective parties. The poll says among partisan voters, an "unusually high percentage" do not plan to vote for Clinton or Trump:

Among Democrats and independents leaning Democrat, 13 percent say they will vote for neither candidate and 4 percent say they don’t know. For comparison, in June 2012, just 3 percent of Republicans and 2 percent of Democrats said they would not support either nominee.

Among registered voters who describe themselves as Republicans or independents who lean Republican, 18 percent say they will vote for neither Trump nor Clinton, and an additional 5 percent say they don’t know how they will vote.

The poll indicates voters sense a division within the two major parties. It shows that only 12 percent of GOP members and "independent leaners" believe the Republican Party currently is united. Forty-five percent think divisions will remain, by the time of the November election. Only 18 percent of Democrats and independent leaners consider the Democratic Party to be united at this time, while 26 percent believe the party will be divided in November.

The survey also asked voters about the U.S. Senate race, in which incumbent Ron Johnson, a Republican, is being challenged by Democrat and former senator Russ Feingold -- the man Johnson defeated in 2010, to win the office. The poll shows 45 percent of registered voters back Feingold, while 41 percent favor Johnson. The previous poll, conducted in March, showed Feingold with 47 percent to Johnson's 42 percent. When it comes to likely voters, 51 percent back Feingold and 42 percent plan to vote for Johnson.

The Marquette Law School Poll asked respondents about a number of additional items, including how they view House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican congressman from Wisconsin. The poll shows 49 percent of registered voters have favorable opinions of Ryan, while 32 percent view him unfavorably. Opinions about Ryan differ when it comes to his endorsement of Trump, who has been a divisive figure in the presidential campaign. Fifty-four percent say it was a mistake for Ryan to back Trump. Thirty-eight percent believe Ryan made the right move. Ryan's endorsement of Trump is viewed more favorably among fellow Republicans and independent leaners, with 69 percent agreeing with Ryan, while 23 percent disagree.

The survey also inquired about views of GOP Gov. Scott Walker. It shows his job approval rating at 39 percent, dropping from 43 percent in March. Since March, Walker's disapproval numbers climbed from 53 to 57 percent.

The Marquette Law School Poll includes responses from 800 registered voters. They were interviewed by cell phone and landline. The survey has a margin of error of +/- 4.4 percentage points. The results for likely voters are based on the answers from 666 respondents, and have a margin of error of +/- 4.9 percentage points.

Ann-Elise is WUWM's news director.
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