The latest polls in the hotly contested state Senate race show Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) holding a double-digit lead over likely Republican challenger Eric Hovde.
The Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday shows Mr. Baldwin’s approval rating among Wisconsin voters surveyed is 54%, compared to Mr. Hovde’s 42%. While each candidate received nearly all of their party votes, independents also supported Baldwin by a 12-point margin.
The poll results are a good sign for Democrats, who are counting on Baldwin and other vulnerable Democrats to hold on to their razor-thin Senate majority.
The numbers come as Hovde’s campaign is beset by scandal, with the Democrat spending much of his adult life out of state and still absent from California this year. He is attacking the business leader who voted for him.
Hovde’s popularity may also play a role, with half of the poll respondents saying they don’t know enough about him to form an opinion. Meanwhile, 49% said they had a favorable opinion of Baldwin.
The 12-point lead over Hovde is an improvement over previous polls of incumbent senators. In March, she held a narrow three-point lead, according to the Emerson College/The Hill poll.
Money between the two companies is tight, with both companies making good progress in raising capital in the first quarter of this year. Both candidates have raised nearly $10 million between their campaigns and key committees, while Hovde has committed $8 million of his own money to the cause.
The newspaper said the businessman suggested he could funnel up to $20 million of his own money into his campaign. milwaukee journal sentinel.
Wisconsin will be one of the most important battleground states in 2024, with former President Trump and President Biden trying to curry favor with voters in the Badger State. The state voted for Trump in 2016 and switched to Biden in 2020.
Baldwin is seeking a third term after successfully winning elections in 2012 and 2018.
Hovde faces some opposition in the Republican primary for the nomination, but has support from the establishment, including the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
The Quinnipiac University poll, conducted last week among about 1,500 registered voters, had a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.
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