LISTENING TO THE GABLEMAN
INVESTIGATION, BUT 67% OF ALL
REGISTERED VOTERS SURVEYED IN
WISCONSIN ARE VERY OR SOMEWHAT�E
ACCURATELY CAST AND COUNTED IN
THE 2020 ELECTION.
THAT'S ACCORDING TO THE LATEST
MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOL
POLL, WHICH LOOKED AT APPROVAL
RATINGS, THE HORSE RACE IN THE
UPCOMING GOVERNOR AND U.S.
SENATE ELECTIONS AND ISSUES IN
THE STATE.
POLL DIRECTOR CHARLES FRANKLIN
JOINS US NOW.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE, CHARLES.
>> GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> SO AS TO WHO HAS CONFIDENCE
IN THE ACCURACY OF THE 2020
ELECTION, AS EXPECTED, YOU SEE
VAST PARTISAN SPLITS IN THAT
RESULT, RIGHT?
>> THERE ARE BIG DIFFERENCES.
JUST AS SORT OF A BASIC WAY OF
SAYING IT, IT'S BEEN ABOUT TWO
THIRDS OF REPUBLICANS WHO WERE
SKEPTICAL ABOUT THE ELECTION,
BUT ABOUT TWO THIRDS OF THE
PUBLIC AT LARGE WHO WERE
CONFIDENT IN THE ELECTION.
SO YOU HAVE THIS DIFFICULT
PROBLEM OF WITHIN THE PARTY, A
LOT OF SKEPTICISM AMONG
REPUBLICANS THAT'S SIMPLY NOT
MIRRORED IN THE PUBLIC AT LARGE.
AND SO THAT'S PART OF THE ISSUE
WITH A LOT OF THE CONFLICT
WITHIN THE REPUBLICAN PARTY
ABOUT IT RIGHT NOW.
WE DID SEE A LITTLE DECLINE IN
SKEPTICISM AMONG REPUBLICANS
THIS MONTH.
IT HAD BEEN ABOUT 70% LAST
MONTH, OR IN OCTOBER, IT FELL TO
ABOUT 60% THIS TIME.
SO THAT'S NOT A LOT OF MOVEMENT,
BUT IT IS A CONSISTENT MOVEMENT
AND IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE IT
GOES IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION
FROM THE INCREASED DEBATE IN THE
CAPITAL AND IN THE GUBERNATORIAL
ELECTION.
>> INTERESTING.
WELL, MEANWHILE, LOOKING AHEAD
TO THE 2022 ELECTION AND KEY
MATCHUPS THAT WE'RE WATCHING,
YOUR POLLING SHOWS THAT IN THE
REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FOR GOVERNOR,
REPUBLICANS AND INDEPENDENTS WHO
SAY THEY WILL VOTE IN THE
PRIMARY, REBECCA KLEEFISCH IS
THE CHOICE OF 30%, KEVIN
NICHOLSON PREFERRED BY 8%,
TIMOTHY RAMTHUN IS SUPPORTED BY
5% AND THEN 54% SAY THEY DON'T
KNOW.
THAT 54% SAYS IT ALL AT THIS
POINT, DOESN'T IT?
>> I THINK IT REALLY DOES.
AND YOU KNOW, FOR THOSE OF US
THAT PAY ATTENTION TO POLITICS
DAY IN AND DAY OUT, YEAR IN AND
YEAR OUT, IT'S MAYBE A LITTLE
SURPRISING.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT PAST PRIMARY
RACES THIS FAR OUT, FIVE MONTHS
OUT, IT'S NOT AT ALL SURPRISING
TO FIND THAT HALF HAVE NOT
PICKED A CANDIDATE IN THAT RACE,
AND I REALLY WOULDN'T EXPECT
THAT NUMBER TO GET A LOT LOWER
UNTIL WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO THE
BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER AT
LEAST.
IT IS CLEAR THAT KLEEFISCH HAS A
NOTICEABLE ADVANTAGE IN THIS
RACE.
BUT KEEP YOUR EYE ON THAT 54%
AND UNDERSTAND THAT A LOT COULD
CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND AUGUST.
>> LOTS OF CANDIDATES ARE LINED
UP TO RUN IN THE DEMOCRATIC
PRIMARY FOR U.S. SENATE AGAINST
REPUBLICAN SENATOR RON JOHNSON.
YOUR POLLING HERE SHOWS MANDELA
BARNES IS SUPPORTED BY 23%, ALEX
LASRY 13%, TOM NELSON SITS AT
5%, AND SARAH GODLEWSKI IS
PREFERRED BY 3%.
YOUR POLLING SHOWS REPUBLICAN
AND DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTERS
ARE ABOUT EQUALLY UNSURE OF
THEIR PRIMARY PREFERENCES, PLUS
NAME RECOGNITION OF THESE
CANDIDATES ON BOTH SIDES SEEMS
LOW FOR A STATE SO POLITICALLY
FOCUSED AND HYPERPARTISAN.
WHAT ABOUT THAT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND 48% ON THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE
SAID THEY HAD NOT MADE UP THEIR
MINDS.
BY THE WAY, WE DID ASK ABOUT ALL
11 CANDIDATES AND NO ONE ELSE
GOT MORE THAN 2%.
I THINK THAT IT IS TRUE THAT WE
ARE VERY INVOLVED IN POLITICS,
BUT AN AWFUL LOT OF OUR
INVOLVEMENT IS ABOUT DEMOCRAT
VERSUS REPUBLICAN, AND THESE
WITHIN-THE-PARTY RACES WITH
CANDIDATES THAT ARE NOT
HOUSEHOLD NAMES IS MORE
TIME-CONSUMING FOR VOTERS TO
MAKE UP THEIR MINDS.
WE SAW THIS IN 2018 IN THE
GUBERNATORIAL PRIMARY FOR THE
DEMOCRATS THAT TONY EVERS
EVENTUALLY WON.
THAT WAS ALSO A BIG FIELD AND A
LOT OF CANDIDATES STRUGGLED TO
GET KNOWN.
FINALLY, THIS ELECTION YEAR IS
LIKELY TO BE AN INTENSE ELECTION
YEAR BY THE TIME WE GET TO THE
AUGUST PRIMARY, BUT IT MAY TAKE
US A WHILE FOR THAT TO WRAP UP,
INCLUDING GETTING TO KNOW THE
NAMES OF THE CANDIDATES TOO.
>> LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE
FAVORABILITY FOR SENATOR RON
JOHNSON, ACCORDING TO YOUR
POLLING, FAVORABLY BY 33%, 21%
SAID THEY HAVEN'T HEARD ENOUGH
OR DON'T KNOW.
HE'S UNDERWATER, THOUGH, AND HAS
TRENDED DOWN.
>> YES, AND THIS IS HIS WORST
NET FAVORABILITY THAT WE'VE SEEN
SINCE 2013.
HE'S ALSO DOWN A LITTLE BIT FROM
IN OCTOBER, WHEN HE WAS AT 35 --
FROM OCTOBER WHEN HE WAS AT 36
FAVORABLE, 42 UNFAVAB UNFAVORABA
LITTLE DOWNWARD TREND.
HE REALLY PEAKED RECENTLY IN
2019 AND HAS BEEN COMING DOWN
SLOWLY BUT FAIRLY STEAD LE AND
NOW THESE NUMBERS.
I WILL REMIND PEOPLE THAT HE WAS
ALSO DEEPLY UNDERWATER IN 2015,
BEFORE COMING BACK TO IMPROVE
THOSE NUMBERS IN 16 AND
EVENTUALLY WHEN THE 2016
RE-ELECTION BID.
THIS IS INFORMATIVE NUMBERS, BUT
THINGS CAN CHANGE AGAIN.
>> SO TONY EVERS' JOB APPROVAL
IS RIGHT SIDE UP, 50% APPROVE
WHILE 41% DO NOT APPROVE.
BUT YOU KNOW, WHILE EVERS JOB
APPROVAL IS RIGHT SIDE UP AS WE
SAID, ANOTHER QUESTION YOU ASKED
HAD TO DO WHETHER WISCONSIN IS
HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OR
ON THE WRONG TRACK, AND 39% OF
VOTERS THERE SAID THE STATE IS
HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
WHILE 53% SAID IT WAS ON THE
WRONG TRACK.
HOW DO THE GOVERNOR'S JOB
APPROVAL NUMBERS SQUARE WITH
THIS RIGHT TRACK, WRONG TRACK
RESULT?
>> THAT'S RIGHT, I THINK THE
DIRECTION OF THE STATE IS AN
INDICATOR OF SOME BROAD
PESSIMISM ABOUT THE STATE, BUT
IT'S ALSO TRUE ABOUT THE COUN
COUNTRY.
PART OF THAT COMES FROM BOTH
SIDES CAN BLAME THE OTHER PARTY
FOR WHY WE'RE HEADED IN THE
WRONG DIRECTION, AND I THINK
THAT'S PART OF WHY YOU CAN SEE A
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE TWO.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WELL, CHARLES FRANKLIN, THANK
YOU VERY MUCH.
REALLY NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
>> THANK YOU.