The media has given a lot of attention to the U.S. Senate race in Wisconsin, in hopes that Democrat Mandela Barnes could topple Republican incumbent Ron Johnson. But at this point, it looks unlikely.
We’re six weeks from the midterms, and Johnson is leading most of the polls.
The Real Clear Politics average of polls gives Johnson a 2.3 point lead.
For what it’s worth, Johnson just pulled ahead in the FOX News Poll:
Fox News Poll: Wisconsin Senate race shifts in Johnson’s favorRepublican Sen. Ron Johnson moves ahead in the Wisconsin Senate race, as more voters express concern that Democrat Mandela Barnes’ views are too extreme.A new Fox News survey of Wisconsin registered voters finds Johnson preferred over his Democratic challenger by 4 points: 44% Barnes vs. 48% Johnson. Last month, it was Barnes who was up by 4 (50-46%).Some 87% in the Badger state say they feel certain they’ll cast a ballot this year, and among only these voters Barnes trails Johnson by 5 points (45-50%).Whether looking at the race among all registered voters or only “certain” voters, it’s within the survey’s margin of sampling error.”Wisconsin continues to be one of the most closely divided states in the country,” says Democratic pollster Chris Anderson, whose company Beacon Research conducts the Fox News survey with Republican pollster Daron Shaw. “Republicans appear to have some momentum in both the Senate and gubernatorial races, but they are both competitive as we head into the final month of campaigning.”
At The Hill, Caroline Vakil points to a poll from AARP that has Johnson up by 5 points:
Johnson leads Barnes in Wisconsin Senate race: pollSen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) holds a 5 percentage point lead over Democratic challenger Mandela Barnes in the Wisconsin Senate race, according to a new poll.An AARP poll commissioned by Fabrizio Ward & Impact Research released on Thursday found Johnson receiving 51 percent support among likely Wisconsin voters, compared to Barnes with 46 percent. Johnson maintained a slimmer lead of 49 percent to Barnes’s 47 percent among voters between the ages of 18 to 49 years old.But the Wisconsin Republican held a more competitive edge among voters ages 50 years and older with 52 percent, while the Democrat received 45 percent.Two demographics that polled overwhelmingly for Barnes included voters with at least a college degree (Barnes received 60 percent to Johnson’s 37 percent) and urban voters (62 percent to 35 percent respectively).
The left is reacting to Johnson’s lead pretty much exactly as you would expect them to.
Stay classy, progressives.
Old tweets also emerged today of Barnes mocking Rep. Steve Scalise, who almost died after a leftist shot up a baseball field with GOP lawmakers practicing for the softball game.
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