MU Poll: Support slips for Ron Johnson, Evers' approval remains steady & doubts remain over 2020 election

 

MADISON Wis. (CBS 58) --- Support for U.S. Senator Ron Johnson is slipping among Wisconsin voters while Gov. Tony Evers approval rating remains steady, according to a new Marquette University Law School Poll.

It's the first time since October were getting a glimpse at the competitive races in 2022.

Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson saw a shift in the wrong direction from preview polls with 35% of those surveyed viewing him as favorably, 42% unfavorably and 23% said they don't have an opinion.

Marquette University Poll Director, Charles Franklin, said it's one of the lowest ratings for Johnson "in quite some time" but notes the 2022 midterms are still far out and Johnson has yet to decide if he'll run for a third term.

"It shifted in a negative direction, but whether that will be durable or not, that remains to be seen," said Franklin.

In October 2020, 38% had a favorable opinion of Johnson, 36% had an unfavorable view and 26% lacked an opinion. The lowest favorability rating for Johnson came in November 2015, when 27% had a favorable opinion and 38% were unfavorable.

Democratic Governor Tony Evers who's eyeing a second term saw no change in his approval rating, remaining steady at 50%, while 43% disapprove, and six percent didn't know.

More Than a Quarter Have Doubts Over 2020 Election

The poll also revealed how many voters still have concerns over the accuracy of November's presidential election. More than a quarter of those surveyed have doubts in the outcome of the election, that's nearly 1 in 3 Wisconsinites, according to the poll.

Six-seven percent say there are very or somewhat confident, while 31% say they are not very confident or not at all over the accuracy of November's results.

Republicans have the most doubts with 71% of respondents not confident, and 29% trusting the outcome.

Among Democratic voters, a vast majority, 97% have confidence, while 3% have doubts.

Prior to the election, polling from October showed 69% were confident or very confident about the accuracy of the election results, while 30% were not very or not at all confident.

"This is really clearly a big partisan spilt where Republican elected officials are certainly strongly influenced by that 71 percent of their party that is skeptical about the election results," said Franklin.

Views on COVID-19 Vaccines

Vaccinations were also a top issue among Wisconsin voters. Of those who said they were unvaccinated, 49% say they will definitely not get the vaccine, another 27% say they probably won’t get it.

Meanwhile, 14% say they probably will get vaccinated and another 8% say they will definitely get vaccinated.

The poll also highlighted the stark political divide when it comes to getting vaccinated with 87% of Democrats saying they got the shot, 11 have not. For Republicans surveyed, 45% say they are vaccinated and 43% are not.