At least one-third of Wisconsinites have never heard of the state's next governor. And the most recognizable name among the three major declared candidates is the most recent entrant.
That is the state of the 2010 governor's race, according to recent polling by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.
The WPRI, in its October 2009 Wisconsin Citizen Survey, found that 33.29 percent of poll respondents have never heard of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. He just declared his gubernatorial candidacy as a Democrat on Sunday. Barrett is the only major Democratic Party candidate, after Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton surprisingly ended her bid last month.
Barrett gained national notoriety this summer, when he was attacked in August while defending a woman outside the Wisconsin State Fair. Which might explain why he has more name recognition in the WPRI poll than the two major Republican Party candidates.
The survey showed that 36.29 percent of respondents have never heard of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. But his opponent, former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, was an unknown to 39 percent of those surveyed.
Amazingly, 37 percent of respondents said they'd never heard of Lawton, who's been the state's lieutenant governor for two terms.
For what it's worth this early in the campaign, Barrett enjoys the highest favorability ratings among the three candidates. Respondents said they had either a "very favorable" or "somewhat favorable" opinion of Barrett nearly 34 percent of the time. Walker's favorability rating was just under 30 percent, while Neumann's lagged at 24 percent.
By comparison, Walker had a higher unfavorable rating than Neumann. Nearly 16 percent of respondents said their opinion of Walker either was "somewhat unfavorable" or "very unfavorable."
With no other "major" names - if we can call these three major with so many people not knowing who they even are - reportedly contemplating gubernatorial runs, it appears Barrett, Walker and Neumann very well may make up the field. The two Republicans and the Democrat will provide voters with clear and opposite philosophical options for fixing the many problems in state government.
Clearly, the race is wide open, and the first step will simply be for any or all of the candidates to make a name for themselves.
That is the state of the 2010 governor's race, according to recent polling by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute.
The WPRI, in its October 2009 Wisconsin Citizen Survey, found that 33.29 percent of poll respondents have never heard of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. He just declared his gubernatorial candidacy as a Democrat on Sunday. Barrett is the only major Democratic Party candidate, after Lieutenant Governor Barbara Lawton surprisingly ended her bid last month.
Barrett gained national notoriety this summer, when he was attacked in August while defending a woman outside the Wisconsin State Fair. Which might explain why he has more name recognition in the WPRI poll than the two major Republican Party candidates.
The survey showed that 36.29 percent of respondents have never heard of Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker. But his opponent, former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, was an unknown to 39 percent of those surveyed.
Amazingly, 37 percent of respondents said they'd never heard of Lawton, who's been the state's lieutenant governor for two terms.
For what it's worth this early in the campaign, Barrett enjoys the highest favorability ratings among the three candidates. Respondents said they had either a "very favorable" or "somewhat favorable" opinion of Barrett nearly 34 percent of the time. Walker's favorability rating was just under 30 percent, while Neumann's lagged at 24 percent.
By comparison, Walker had a higher unfavorable rating than Neumann. Nearly 16 percent of respondents said their opinion of Walker either was "somewhat unfavorable" or "very unfavorable."
With no other "major" names - if we can call these three major with so many people not knowing who they even are - reportedly contemplating gubernatorial runs, it appears Barrett, Walker and Neumann very well may make up the field. The two Republicans and the Democrat will provide voters with clear and opposite philosophical options for fixing the many problems in state government.
Clearly, the race is wide open, and the first step will simply be for any or all of the candidates to make a name for themselves.
