MU Poll: Most voters unaware of candidates in state Supreme court race, split on Trump

 

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- With just under four weeks until Election Day, voters have yet to form strong opinions about the candidates in the high stakes state Supreme Court race, according to a new Marquette University Law School poll.

The poll shows voters have a 32% favorable opinion about Waukesha County Judge Brad Schimel with 29% unfavorable. Schimel's opponent, Dane County Judge Susan Crawford, received 19% favorable views from Wisconsin registered voters and 23% viewed her unfavorably.

However, most respondents said they don't know either of them. The results show 38% don't have an opinion about Schimel and 58% don't know enough about Crawford.

With millions pouring into the race, poll director Charles Franklin said he expects those opinions to change as we inch closer to April 1st.

The poll did not rate the candidates in head-to-head matchups because of the lack of awareness of both candidates.

"If we asked, we'd get a number, but it won't tell us much about what those folks are going to do in a month," Franklin said. "There's going to be a lot of advertising between now and Election Day and people will form opinions."

While many respondents are unfamiliar with the candidates, 83%, say the election can tip the balance on the Court, while 15% say the election will not affect it and 2% say they don’t know.

The matchup between Crawford and Schimel will decide whether liberal maintain their 4-3 majority or conservatives will take it back. Two years ago, liberal Justice Janet Protasiewicz victory flipped control of the court for the first time in 15 years.

Issues Defining Supreme Court Race

When it comes to the issues defining the race, 79% of voters surveyed say they prefer judicial candidates to talk openly about them compared to 21% who say they should avoid talking about issues.

Respondents had strong views on abortion, the state's photo ID requirement to vote, and Act 10, all issues that are either currently before justices or are expected to make their way to the court.

The state's voter ID law is favored by 77% and opposed by 22%.

Enacted in 2011, Act 10 stripped away collective bargaining rights for most public workers. A group of teacher unions are asking the courts to overturn the law. Overall, 42% support the law, while 54% say it should be struck down as unconstitutional.

A majority of respondents, 64%, favor legal abortions in all or most cases, with 36% who say it should be illegal in all or most cases.

Views on President Trump

Voters were split on President Donald Trump's first six weeks in office with 48% approving of his job while 51% opposed.

The partisan gap in approval of Trump is particularly wide, with 92% approval among Republicans and 97% disapproval among Democrats.

Voters Skeptical of Tariffs, DOGE

While the state is historically evenly divided, one issue Republicans and Democrats were united on was tariffs.

51 percent in the poll say the new tariffs imposed by Trump on Canada, Mexico and China will hurt the economy, while 32% believe it will help.

Views on whether Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is properly carrying out Trump’s agenda is more divided, 47% say it's acting properly while 53% say it's disrupting programs

The poll was conducted Feb. 19-26 and interviewed 864 Wisconsin registered voters. The margin of error was +/-4.6 percentage points.