Poll: Wisconsin Voters Turn On Gov. Walker- Back State Unions
John Manning
"In the poll, 57% of respondents said
public employees should have the right
to collectively bargain, compared to 37%
who said they should not.
"A similar majority, 55%, said the state's
unions should have the same amount of rights
or more than they already enjoy, a rebuke
to Walker's efforts to roll back those rights.
"Voters are now evenly divided over whether
he should be recalled."
-- Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) is rapidly losing support
from his constituents as he continues to push budget proposals
that would cut collective bargaining rights and benefits for most
of the states public employee unions, according to new data from
a PPP poll, a poll whose results TPM first reported on Monday.
His support has slipped so much that, after just two months in
office, voters are now evenly divided over whether he should
be recalled.
A majority of Wisconsin voters now disapprove of Walker's
job performance, a reversal from the positive approval rating
he enjoyed immediately after election day.
Further, most voters support collective bargaining rights for
the state's public employee unions, and oppose Walker's proposal to
cut those same rights.
In the poll, 57% of respondents said public employees should have
the right to collectively bargain, compared to 37% who said they
should not.
A similar majority, 55%, said the state's unions should have the
same amount of rights or more than they already enjoy, a rebuke
to Walker's efforts to roll back those rights.
Further, slim majorities said they side with the unions and
senate Democrats -- who fled the state to delay a vote on Walker's
bill -- over the governor in the dispute.
Walker's job approval has fallen as the budget stalemate drags on.
According to PPP, 52% of voters now disapprove of his job
performance, while 46% approve of the job he is doing.
That split mirrors another finding in the poll that PPP
released Monday, which found Walker losing in a hypothetical
do-over election against Democrat Tom Barret, 52% to 45%.
Also ominously for the governor, the state is evenly split at 48%
over whether he should be recalled. It's unclear how viable that
option would be, but the fact that almost half of voters would
consider in theory is certainly a bad sign for Walker moving forward.
The PPP poll was conducted February 24-27 among 768 Wisconsin
voters. It has a margin of error of 3.5%.