Wisconsin independents appear to have turned on President Obama as they warm to Gov. Scott Walker, R-Wis., according to recent polls indicating that the union recall effort has failed to sustain support for Democrats among swing voters in the swing state.
Obama won Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes in 2008 with a 14 point victory, but now he holds a bare three point lead over Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney in a survey by Public Policy Polling (PPP). The survey has a 2.9 percent margin of error. The Democratic-leaning polling firm reports that Obama’s support among independents in the state has plummeted from a 52 percent approval rating (after the killing of Osama Bin Laden) to a 36 percent approval rating among the swing voters.
PPP also reports that Walker, once regarded as very vulnerable to recall because of his collective bargaining legislation, is trending upward among independents. Coincidentally, Walker currently stands at the same 52/44 percent approval to disapproval rating among independents that Obama enjoyed after Bin Laden’s death. His overall numbers show 48 percent of respondents support recalling Walker, with 49 percent opposed. PPP notes, however, that only former Sen. Russ Feingold polls ahead of Walker in a hypothetical matchup (46-43); Feingold has said he will likely not challenge Walker.
The presidential election poll also shows that Republican Herman Cain has gained seven points in Wisconsin on Obama, whom he still trails 49-42.
