Wisconsin Approval Ratings Dip Below 50 Percent For Both President And Governor

Job approval ratings for President Barack Obama and Governor Scott Walker dipped below 50 percent in Wisconsin according to a Marquette University poll.

In a poll from May, Obama’s approval rating stood at 50 percent. Walker’s stood at 51 percent. In the July poll, both saw their approval ratings drop three points, leaving the president with 47 percent approval and the governor with 48 percent.

Marquette University pollster Charles Franklin says the July numbers are a little bit lower than average for either the president or the governor, both of whom have averaged 50 percent approval in all the polling Marquette has conducted over the past couple years.

“What we’re seeing in both of these cases is shifts that are inside the margin of error, which is 3.7 percent,” says Franklin. “But it’s unusual for two politicians of opposite parties to move at the same time in the same direction.”

Franklin says that could be explained by peoples’ views of the economy, which were slightly more pessimistic in July. Among self-identified Independents, Franklin says the way people view Wisconsin’s economy goes a long way toward how they view Walker.

“Of those who think we’re at least keeping up with other states in creating jobs, 79 percent approve of Governor Walker’s handling of his job,” says Franklin. “But among those independents who think we’re lagging behind in jobs, only 27 percent approve.”

Marquette interviewed 713 registered voters for the survey which was conducted over the course of four days last week.