MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley may be the frontrunner in the race for Wisconsin governor, according to a new poll conducted by Marquette Law School, but U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany isn't far behind.
The first Marquette poll since the Aug. 11 primaries has Crowley, a Democrat, at 49% among likely voters, with Tiffany, a Republican, at 44%. Seven percent of likely voters said they were currently undecided.
Registered voters, a wider group, tell a slightly different story. Among that group, the race is tied, with both candidates polling at 44%, and 12% undecided.
Democrats and the enthusiasm gap
The Marquette poll also measured how enthused both parties are when it comes to voting this November.
Fifty-five percent of Republican registered voters sampled by the poll said they were enthusiastic about voting, compared to just 49% of Democrats.
While enthusiasm doesn't always guarantee a vote in the fall, it's a metric both parties will be watching closely.
What explains the lower Democratic number? Marquette said the gap "may reflect less enthusiasm among supporters of State Rep. Francesca Hong."
Fifty-two percent of Democratic voters with a favorable opinion of Hong were enthusiastic about voting. The same number for Crowley supporters? 63%.
Crowley still unknown to many voters
While Crowley is well known in Milwaukee - he has served as its County Executive since 2020 - other parts of the state haven't had a chance to get to know him yet.
Thirty-eight percent of voters say they haven't heard enough about Crowley to form an opinion on him. Only 18% said the same of Tiffany.
That 38% for Crowley will likely shrink as the race stretches on, and each candidate continues to campaign and appear in advertisements.
Crowley currently is at a net +4 when it comes to favorability (33% favorable, 29% unfavorable), while Tiffany is at a -3 (39% favorable, 42% unfavorable).
Comparing other recent polls
The topline results of this latest poll are similar to other recent post-primary polling in the race, which saw results of Crowley +4 (TIPP Insights) and Crowley +4 (Platform Communications).
The TIPP Insights poll was conducted between Aug. 14 and 18. It saw Crowley with 47% of support, and Tiffany with 43%. It was sponsored by the League of American Workers.
The Platform Communications poll was conducted between Aug. 12 and 13, and was sponsored by the Badger Battleground Poll. In that survey, Crowley had 48% of support, and Tiffany had 44%.
The new Marquette poll was conducted between Aug. 12 and 20, with a sample of 891 Wisconsin registered voters and a margin of error of plus or minus four percentage points.
The Wisconsin gubernatorial election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
