Marquette poll: Crowley leads Tiffany in Wisconsin governor race

MILWAUKEE - Democrat David Crowley leads Republican Tom Tiffany in the race for Wisconsin governor, the latest Marquette University Law School Poll found.

Crowley leads Tiffany

By the numbers:

The results of the most recent poll, conducted in the days after the state's partisan primaries, were released on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

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The race between Crowley and Tiffany was tied at 44% each among registered voters with 12% undecided. But among likely voters, the poll found Crowley took the lead – 49% to 44% – over Tiffany. Seven percent were undecided. 

Both Crowley and Tiffany polled above 90% with likely voters of their respective parties, but Crowley had a sizable advantage over Tiffany among likely independent voters – 55% to 16%.

Big picture view:

Registered voters had a 33% favorable view of Crowley, with 29% unfavorable and 38% having not heard enough. Tiffany's favorability sat at 39%, with 42% unfavorable and 18% having not heard enough. 

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"Over 30% don’t know enough about David Crowley to have an opinion of him. That’s half that for Tom Tiffany. So, there’s still a lot of room for shaping the image of Crowley, less room for shaping Tiffany’s image," pollster Charles Franklin said.

The poll also asked voters about Francesca Hong, whom Crowley narrowly defeated in the Aug. 11 race. It found most registered voters (53%) have an unfavorable view of Hong. Twenty-six percent viewed Hong favorably, and 21% said they hadn't heard enough.

Methodology:

The poll surveyed 891 Wisconsin registered voters from Aug. 21-20. The margin of error is +/- four percentage points. The entire questionnaire, methodology statement, full results and breakdowns by demographic groups are available on the Marquette Law School Poll website.

Top issues for voters

By the numbers:

According to the Marquette poll, more than half of registered voters picked a topic related to money or the economy as their top issues.

"There are a lot of economic issues out there that are driving voters’ concerns," Franklin said. "I think the question will be: Can any of the candidates credibly claim to address those concerns and propose some policies that voters would find responsive to their big economic concerns?"

An overwhelming plurality of those polled, 43%, specifically cited "inflation and the cost of living" as their top issue, with "jobs and the economy," "property taxes" and "affordability of housing" the top issues for another 19%.

• Inflation and the cost of living, 43%
• Illegal immigration and border security, 12%
• Health insurance, 10%
• Jobs and the economy, 7%
• Property taxes, 6%
• Affordability of housing, 6%
• Data Centers, 5%

The same poll found growing opposition to data centers among Wisconsinites. Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed in August said the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits. That's up from 69% who said the same in March.

Badger Battleground Poll

Dig deeper:

The Badger Battleground Poll, which touts itself as being bipartisan with input from both a Democratic strategist and a Republican strategist, polled 500 likely voters right after the August primary set the Crowley-Tiffany matchup.

That poll found Crowley with a slight lead over Tiffany (48% to 44%). In battleground Wisconsin Assembly districts, the poll found Crowley at 54% and Tiffany at 35%.

When is the election?

What's next:

Wisconsin's general election will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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