From the Susan B. Anthony List:

And Milton Wolf:

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Governor Walker leads Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett by six percentage points– 50 percent of likely voters over Barrett’s 44 percent– according to a poll released today by Marquette Law School. Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch leads challenger Mahlon Mitchell by six percentage points as well, garnering 47 percent to his 41.

The poll used a sample size of 704 registered Wisconsin voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points.

Daily Kos released the results of a poll taken around the same time that shows Walker with 50 percent of the vote and Barrett at 45; Kleefisch received 46 percent to Mitchell’s 43 percent.

One of the key factors in the election appears to be turnout; according to the same poll, Republicans have the edge:

Republicans are more likely to say they are “absolutely certain” to vote on June 5, at 91 percent, than are Democrats and independents, both at 83 percent. In other areas of participation, Republicans also have an advantage. Sixty-two percent of Republicans say that they have tried to persuade someone to vote for or against a candidate, compared to 54 percent among Democrats and 48 percent among independents. Democrats, however, are more likely to have been contacted by a campaign, 83 percent, to 78 percent for Republicans and 76 percent among independents. These rates are for all registered voters in the sample, not just likely voters.

It won’t hurt that today Walker’s office released new jobs numbers showing that during 2011 Wisconsin employers added 23,321 jobs (57,221 more than original estimates):

Walker argued that the figures he released on Wednesday more accurately reflect what is happening in the state and are more in line with other positive economic indicators, such as a declining unemployment rate and rise in tax collections.

“The bottom line is Wisconsin added jobs in 2011,” said Reggie Newson, secretary of the state Department of Workforce Development.

Perhaps the DNC found out about the jobs numbers in advance, which might explain the lack of funds sent to Wisconsin?

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A reader alerted me to Thoughts from Polly’s Granddaughter, a blog run by Twila Barnes, devoted to documenting Cherokee genealogy and countering fraudulent claims of Cherokee heritage:

I am the wife of a career soldier and the mother of four. I am registered with the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and, like my ancestors, have always been proud of my Cherokee heritage. I have been studying Cherokee history and genealogy for a long time and I am interested in anything Cherokee, whether it involves the historical Cherokee Nation or the Cherokee people of today. I have been fortunate to have been mentored in Cherokee history and genealogical methods by David Cornsilk and the late Jerri Chasteen and I hope to pass on what I have learned to others. I adhere to the Standards for Sound Genealogical Practices and believe one should only claim what they can prove through solid historical documentation.

I spoke with Ms. Barnes today.  She is 7/32 Cherokee, has 10 ancestors on the Dawes Roll and many other relatives who are Cherokee including her grandfather (7/8 Cherokee) and mother (7/16 Cherokee).  Ms. Barnes is active in Cherokee affairs.

Here is an image of Ms. Barnes’ great-great-great grandmother, Polly Vann Tadpole, after whom the blog is named and who was full-blooded Cherokee:

Ms. Barnes also has put together a video of her Cherokee ancestors (text here):

My Great Great Great Grandma Polly’s family and descendants include many college graduates, decorated soldiers, accomplished athletes, and nationally known poets, writers, and artists yet we are all just simple people who are a living legacy to a woman who traveled the Cherokee Trail of Tears over 170 years ago. I hope she would be proud of us all. Every photo either contains a family member or descendant of hers.

Because of a family emergency, Ms. Barnes has not been able to weigh in on the Elizabeth Warren saga over the past two weeks.

But now Ms. Barnes is weighing in with A Letter to Elizabeth Warren, here is an excerpt (emphasis mine):

I am writing this letter in the hope it will help end the current situation you have found yourself in. It seems you are being ripped apart in the media because of your claim of Cherokee ancestry and you don’t like it. According to a recent article in the Boston Globe, you believe your opponent is “creating a distraction” by “ridiculously” attacking you “with questions that have already been answered.” It seems you would like the “attacks” against your claims of Cherokee ancestry to stop so I thought I would offer some advice on how to...

Conservatives tend to give their babies “trendier” names than liberals, who favor traditional names, according to NPR:

Styles of baby names, it seems, are nearly as different in various parts of the country as voting habits. “There is an enormous red state and blue state divide on names,” says Laura Wattenberg, founder of BabyNameWizard.com and author of The Baby Name Wizard, which claims to be “the expert guide to baby name style.”

But this doesn’t play out the way you might expect. More progressive communities, Wattenberg says, tend to favor more old-fashioned names. Parents in more conservative areas come up with names that are more creative or androgynous.

While it is unclear exactly how or if data was collected — it appears to be the opinion of Wattenberg — she does provide one theory to explain the assumption:

The reason for more outlandish-sounding names cropping up in conservative quarters is simple, Wattenberg says. Women in red states tend to have their first children earlier than women in blue states. A 23-year-old mom is more likely to come up with something out of the ordinary than one who is 33.

Neither NPR nor Wattenberg define what “trendy” names are, or if it is possible for traditional names to themselves be trendy.

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Via Instapundit, Rutherford B. Hayes is back.

Here’s my new contribution:

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No cell phones for you at Obama fundraisers.

Via BuzzFeed Politics:

In the latest attempt to crack down on potentially embarrassing digital leaks from presidential fundraisers, President Barack Obama’s campaign has begun asking donors attending small fundraisers with the president to turn over their cell phones before entering.

Pool reporter David Nakamura of the...

From reader David:

Seen in Democrat-friendly, labor union centric, Obama-G-20, Pittsburgh. Think the driver has any doubts?

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Occupy Chicago held a “F** the Police” rally as they marched through the streets Tuesday night shouting “From Chicago to Greece, F*** the Police.” A short video clip I took as the crowd was just beginning to form follows (language warning: not safe for work):

Compared to last fall’s protests, the level...

The big news in the Trayvon Martin case, ABC News Exclusive: Zimmerman Medical Report Shows Broken Nose, Lacerations After Trayvon Martin Shooting:

A medical report compiled by the family physician...

MoveOn.org sent out an email late today blasting the DNC for refusing to invest in the recall Walker efforts in Wisconsin:

Dear MoveOn member,

BREAKING NEWS FROM WISCONSIN: The Democratic National Committee isn’t investing in the massive get out the vote effort in Wisconsin to recall Scott Walker.

Wisconsin is ground zero for Democrats this...

There is a common misconception that Elizabeth Warren is the Democratic nominee for Senate against Scott Brown.

She is not.

There is a primary contest on September 6.  And the only other announced candidate just filed her petitions:

U.S. Senate candidate Marisa DeFranco will drop off more than 10,000 signatures to the Secretary of...

The War on Women.  The Longest Football Spike Since The Great Depression. Slow jamming.  Julia.  Show me the money Gay marriage .  Inserting his own bio into the bios of other presidents.

It’s one shiny object after another.

Does it ever stop with this guy?

Hopefully recent polling becomes a trend, and the country is...

It’s NATO week in Chicago. The Occupiers, anarchists, socialists, unions, and other professional protesters are in the process of “couch-surfing” their way into town (for those who aren’t occupying foreclosed housing) for the NATO summit that officially takes place May 20-21.

Yesterday, eight protesters who were part of around twenty people who...

On April 30, 2012, The Boston Globe broke the story that Chris Child of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS) had located information about a marriage license showing that Elizabeth’s great-great-great grandmother was Cherokee, Document ties Warren kin to Cherokees:

A record unearthed Monday shows that US Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren has a great-great-great...

Huh? you say.  Pay attention, you’ll get an education like I just did.

Andrew Bolt of the Herald Sun in Australia  linked to one of my Elizabeth Warren posts in his post titled, Cherokee no more.  The following sentences at the end of his post jumped out at me:

I would like to discuss certain...