Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has gained a narrow lead over Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, his Democratic challenger, in recent polling, reversing trends that showed the incumbent at a disadvantage.
Almost half, 49%, of likely voters have thrown their support behind Johnson, while 48% have said they would back Barnes, according to a new poll from Marquette University Law School. The numbers indicate a significant shift in tone after Johnson was trailing in the polls just last month.
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The Senate race in Wisconsin has taken center stage as Democrats view it as a pickup opportunity, seeking to unseat Johnson in order to gain control of the upper chamber in November. The race is deemed a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
Barnes may still have an advantage in the race, and the Democrat’s favorability ratings fare slightly better than those of Johnson. Although Johnson enjoys a 39% favorability rating compared to Barnes’s 33%, almost half, 47%, find the Republican incumbent unfavorable, compared to just 32% for the lieutenant governor, according to the poll.
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Barnes took an early lead in the Senate race, enjoying a 7-point lead ahead of Johnson shortly after winning the Democratic nomination. However, the reversal in poll numbers highlights the tight competition in the battleground state that is likely to help determine the balance of power in Congress over the next two years.
The poll surveyed 801 registered voters in Wisconsin from Sept. 6-11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percentage points.
