Poll: Wisconsin Senate race a dead heat in final week
The Wisconsin Senate race is locked in a statistical tie in the final stretch, according to a poll released Wednesday.
Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D) is narrowly leading Sen. Ron Johnson (R) 45 percent to 44 percent, according to a Marquette Law School poll.
US Senate race in WI: New Marquette Law School Poll finds 45% for Russ Feingold, 44% for Ron Johnson. #mulawpoll
— MULawPoll (@MULawPoll) November 2, 2016
{mosads}Wednesday’s poll is a slight shift from Marquette’s mid-October version of the poll, which showed Feingold leading by 2 points 46 percent to 44 percent.
Johnson is leading Feingold among independent voters 46 percent to 40 percent, according to Wednesday’s poll. That’s a reverse from October’s poll, when Feingold carried independents 44 percent to 37 percent.
Wisconsin, once widely viewed as a likely Democratic pickup, has transformed into an unlikely battleground.
Feingold’s lead has shrunk from double digits over the summer to roughly 7 points on average, according to the RealClearPolitics index, which does not include Wednesday’s Marquette poll.
Outside groups on both sides are making late million-dollar investments as they try to win over undecided voters.
The Senate Leadership Fund, a GOP group close to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Senate Majority PAC, which has ties to Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), have dropped $2 million into the race in the homestretch.
Johnson campaign spokesman Brian Reisinger said Wednesday’s poll proves “the momentum is clearly” with the incumbent.
“Wisconsinites are closer than ever to sending Senator Feingold back to California — for good,” he said.
Feingold spokesman Michael Tyler noted that the poll and the “last-ditch effort” by Johnson allies to keep the seat underscores that Feingold “has a clear advantage.”
“While Sen. Johnson spends the last days of this campaign lashing out with child-like insults, clinging to [GOP presidential nominee] Donald Trump, and failing to explain his years in Washington rigging the system for multi-millionaires like himself, Russ will close out this campaign the way he started it – listening to the middle class and working families of this state who want an economy that works for everyone, not just corporate CEOs,” he added.
Wednesday’s poll was conducted Oct. 26–31 with telephone interviews of 1,401 registered voters in Wisconsin. The margin of error is 3.3 percentage points.
Updated at 2:12 p.m.
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