Madison -- Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett are locked in a tight race for governor, according to a new poll by a pro-Barrett group.
The poll shows Walker, the Republican, with 45% of the vote and Barrett, the Democrat, with 42% of the vote. The difference is within the poll’s margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
The poll of 600 likely voters was conducted Sept. 15 and 16 by the Mellman Group Inc. for the Greater Wisconsin Political Fund, a group that has been running ads against Walker.
The Journal Sentinel independently obtained a copy of the poll shortly after Rasmussen Reports and Public Policy Polling released polls that showed Walker with a wider lead.
The Greater Wisconsin poll makes the case Barrett is on an upward trajectory while Walker’s support has leveled off. Walker has held the same level of support in polls conducted by Greater Wisconsin in April and July. Barrett went from 38% to 42% during that time.
Barrett has made the most gains in areas where Greater Wisconsin and Barrett’s campaign have concentrated their ads. Walker held an 18 point lead in Green Bay in July, but now holds a 2 point lead there, according to the poll. Barrett holds a 1-point advantage in La Crosse and Wausau.
http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/news/103554589.htmlBarrett holds a substantial lead over Walker in the heavily Democratic Madison market -- 48% to 33% -- but he is known to only 62% of voters there. That gives him more room than Walker to gain support, the poll says.