Posted on 09/17/2010 8:16:44 AM PDT by iowamark
After a decisive win in Tuesday’s Republican Primary, businessman Ron Johnson now holds a seven-point lead over incumbent Democrat Russ Feingold in Wisconsin’s U.S. Senate race.
The latest Rasmussen Reports statewide telephone survey of Likely Voters shows Johnson picking up 51% support, while Feingold earns the vote from 44%. One percent (1%) of voters prefer some other candidate, and four percent (4%) remain undecided.
However, the race is still considered a Toss-Up in the Rasmussen Reports Senate Balance of Power rankings.
The survey was conducted one night after Johnson’s primary victory in which he received 85% of the vote in a three-way race. Feingold, who is running for his fourth term in the Senate, ran uncontested in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. Future surveys will determine whether Johnson's jump ahead is just a post-primary bounce or reflects a serious change in the race.
This is the first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey in Wisconsin to include leaners. Leaners are those who initially indicate no preference for either of the candidates but answer a follow-up question and say they are leaning towards a particular candidate. From this point forward, Rasmussen Reports considers results with leaners the primary indicator of the race.
When leaners are excluded from the totals, Johnson leads Feingold 50% to 43%. In late August, Johnson and Feingold were tied in results without leaners. Prior to the latest poll, support for Johnson ranged from 44% to 48% in surveys since February. In those same surveys, Feingold had consistently picked up 46% of the vote.
More than 80% of the supporters for both candidates say they've already made up their minds how they will vote in November.
The survey of 750 Likely Voters in Wisconsin was conducted on September 15, 2010 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 4 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology. Rasmussen Reports will release its first post-primary numbers for the Wisconsin gubernatorial race this weekend.
Johnson is backed by 94% of Republicans in Wisconsin, while 86% of the state's Democrats support Feingold. Johnson holds a nearly two-to-one lead among voters not affiliated with either major political party.
Fifty-five percent (55%) of Wisconsin voters favor repeal of the new national health care reform law, while 40% oppose repeal. Those numbers include 45% who Strongly Favor repeal and 31% who Strongly Oppose it. This is similar to results found nationwide.
Eighty-seven percent (87%) of voters who Strongly Favor repeal back Johnson, Feingold is supported by 90% of those who are Strongly Opposed.
Forty-five percent (45%) of all voters in the state say repeal of the health care bill would be good for the economy, but 27% say it would be bad for the economy.
Johnson is viewed favorably by 61% of Wisconsin voters and unfavorably by 33%. Those numbers include 29% who view the Republican Very Favorably and 19% who view him Very Unfavorably.
Feingold’s ratings are 51% favorable, 46% unfavorable. One-in-three voters (32%) shares a Very Favorable opinion of the longtime senator, while 28% view him Very Unfavorably.
Wisconsin voters trust Republicans slightly more when it comes to economic issues, but the two parties are essentially tied in voters' minds when it comes to government ethics and health care.
Forty-nine percent (49%) of voters in Wisconsin approve of the job President Obama is doing, and the identical nubmer (49%) disapprove. This is little changed from the previous survey and is slightly stronger approval than Obama earns nationally in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll. See toplines for more data from this survey. Platinum Members get to dig deeper in the numbers. In 2008, Rasmussen Reports projected nationally that Obama would defeat John McCain by a 52% to 46% margin. Obama won 53% to 46%. Four years earlier, Rasmussen Reports projected the national vote totals for both George W. Bush and John Kerry within half-a-percentage-point. In Wisconsin during the 2008 campaign, Rasmussen Reports polling showed Obama defeating McCain by a 51% to 44% margin. Obama won 56% to 43%. Four years earlier, Rasmussen polling showed Kerry leading Bush in the state by a 48% to 46% margin. Kerry won 50% to 49%. In 2006 Senator Herb Kohl was ahead of Robert Lorge 64% to 25% in the final Rasmussen poll. Kohl won 67% to 30%. In the governor’s race that year, Rasmussen polling showed Jim Doyle leading Mark Green 48% to 44%. Doyle won 53% to 45%.
In 2004, the last time Feingold won reelection, final Rasmussen polling showed Feingold leading 53% to 43%. Feingold won 55% to 44%.
“If it is not close, they can’t cheat”
heiss, heiss, heiss,
How naive.
If a dumbass like Franken can steel an election then anything can happen.
You ever hear about Kennedy Nixon, Chicago, 1960?
McCain is deeply saddened for his good friend.
Wow! I thought Feingold was bulletproof. Never though I would see him in trouble.
What's more, Feingold's deterioration is not specific to him, and is reflective of Democrats implosion everywhere.
Mrs McCain will need to find a job soon......
ANOTHER frickin RAT in deep doodoo.
The morning of Nov 3rd could be VERY sweet indeed!
We have very good healthcare services in most of Wisconsin and now the federal government wants to screw with it. That’s got a lot of people nervous and they aren’t all Republicans. Feingold’s first radio ad (that I heard anyway) emphasized his fiscal conservatism (barf.)
I wouldn’t be surprised to see him run an ad soon that hedges his position on Obamacare (with a wink to his supporters included, of course.)
So far Johnson is running great, informative, radio spots taking Feingold’s attacks head on and explaining his position. In one of the first, he said Feingold was criticizing his position on concealed carry and he (Johnson) admitted that he’d made a mistake in the way he explained himself early on, then went on to make it clear that he supported the 2nd amendment in no uncertain terms.
But the best part came last when he said he was surprised that Feingold wanted to bring the issue up, given that Feingold had voted for every single one of the anti-gun Supreme Court justices currently sitting on the court! Haven’t heard much from Feingold on gun rights since.
I am beginning o be very hopefull that just maybe we can make enough gains in teh Senate that Obama’s agenda can be stopped in it’s tracks.I really want to see him lose it in public when nothing he wants can pass.
I am beginning o be very hopefull that just maybe we can make enough gains in the Senate that Obama’s agenda can be stopped in it’s tracks.I really want to see him lose it in public when nothing he wants can pass.
And the question is how motivated are these groups to turn out in November with Obama NOT ON THE TICKET?
Johnson is running a great campaign. Sticking with the issues, promoting his plans, and refuting every lie Feingold is saying about him.
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