Scott Walker’s Approval Rating At 51%

A new poll shows Governor Scott Walker’s job approval rating at just over 50 percent, though people are unhappy with Walker’s job creation record.

A Marquette university poll conducted about a week ago shows Scott Walker’s job approval rating is at 51 percent. That’s up one point since a similar poll in March. Marquette pollster Charles Franklin says over the last year or so, the public’s view of Scott Walker has been steady.

“You have a situation in which the governor has commanded something at or slightly above half support or approval, but [also] a pretty steady 44-45 percent disapproval rating. That’s also been quite steady.”

But slightly-above-50 job approval ratings for the governor doesn’t mean most people like his entire record. Professor Franklin says his polling team also asked whether Wisconsin is ahead or behind other states in job creation.

“Only 9 percent thought we were creating them faster than other states. 35 percent the same and 49 percent – not quite half – said we were lagging behind. This comes in the wake of reports based on the census of labor that showed us ranked 44th, I believe, in the country in job creation. So there are certainly some real-world implications here.”

Franklin says Walker also remains well behind pace of his promise to create 250,000 jobs during his first term as governor.

The Marquette poll did not ask about potential Democratic challengers for walker in next year’s race for governor. Franklin says no one’s stepped forward to say they’re definitely running. Walker continues to raise money for his re-election bid, and perhaps campaigns in later years. About 700 people took part in the Marquette poll. The margin of error is 3.7 percent.