Senator Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, has a lead in the Senate race in her state over likely Republican opponent Eric Hovde, according to a new poll.
Quinnipiac University released a survey on Wednesday showing that Baldwin has 54 percent support among Wisconsin voters surveyed, while Hovde has 42 percent. Independents also favor Baldwin by a 12-point margin.
The poll results are favorable for Democrats, who are relying on Baldwin and other vulnerable Democrats to maintain a small majority in the Senate.
The numbers come at a time when Hovde’s campaign has been plagued by controversy. dogged by scandal, with Democrats criticizing the business leader for spending much of his adult life out of state and voting absentee from California as recently as this year.
Hovde's lack of name recognition could also be a factor, with half of the poll respondents stating that they don’t know enough about him to have an opinion. Meanwhile, 49 percent said they have a favorable opinion of Baldwin.
Baldwin's 12-point lead over Hovde is an improvement from previous polls. In March, she led by just 3 points, according to an Emerson College/The Hill poll. The funding is competitive, with both candidates raising nearly $10 million each in the first quarter of the year. Hovde contributed $8 million of his own money to his campaign..
The businessman has indicated that he could invest as much as $20 million of his own funds into his campaign, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Wisconsin will be one of the most important battlegrounds in 2024, with former President Trump and President Biden vying for support in the state. The state voted for Trump in 2016 before switching to Biden in 2020. Baldwin is seeking her third term after easily winning her seat in 2012 and 2018..
Hovde is facing some opposition in the GOP primary for the nomination but has received establishment backing, including from the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed about 1,500 registered voters last week, with a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) holds a double-digit lead over likely GOP challenger Eric Hovde in a new poll of the battleground state Senate race. The survey, released Wednesday by Quinnipiac University, shows Baldwin bringing in 54 percent support among surveyed Wisconsin voters to Hovde’s 42 percent. While each candidate takes nearly all of their own…
The Quinnipiac University poll surveyed about 1,500 registered voters last week, with a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.
