United Liberty

With the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Governors Association staying away from the recall election in Wisconsin, the latest polls in the race show Gov. Scott Walker’s lead over Tom Barrett holding steady:

Wisconsin GOP Gov. Scott Walker has opened up a lead in his upcoming recall election, according to a poll released Wednesday by Marquette University Law School.

The results indicate that Wisconsin will be a hotly-contested political battleground into the November general election. The poll shows President Obama leading former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney 46 percent to 44 percent among all registered voters. Obama and Romney are tied at 46 percent among likely recall voters.

The survey shows Walker leading Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett 50 percent to 44 percent among likely recall voters. In the school’s previous poll in late April, Barrett led Walker 47 percent to 46 percent among all registered voters.

Walker also has a significant advantage over the Milwaukee mayor in the poll’s favorability ratings. Among all registered voters, 50 percent said they have a favorable opinion of Walker, while 45 percent said they have an unfavorable opinion. Thirty-seven percent of registered voters said they have a favorable opinion of Barrett, while 45 percent said they have an unfavorable opinion of the Democrat.

Conn Carroll notes that Public Policy Polling, who conducted a survey for the Daily Kos, found similar numbers — buth in the recall election, where Walker lead Barrett, 50% to 45%, and in the presidential race. Carroll also notes that Walker, should he hold on until the recall election early next month, could provide a blueprint for Republicans across the country and a valuble contrast:

If Walker holds on, he will be a model for Republican governance throughout the country. He only became a national Democratic target after he took on government unions by denying them the ability to take money directly out of government workers’ paychecks and forcing them to contribute more money to their health and retirement benefits. Thanks to these reforms, Wisconsin will have a $154-million surplus next year.

Contrast the Wisconsin experience with California, where government unions control the Democratic Party and Gov. Jerry Brown. Brown was forced to announce this Sunday that his state would face a $16 billion deficit next year and tax hikes were needed to close the gap.

The examples of Wisconsin and California offer a sharp contrast to American voters this November: Do they want the high tax, high spending, government union-controlled future of California, or the low tax, low spending, government surplus future of Wisconsin?

Unless the DNC and DGA decide to pour a ton of money in Wisconsin at the last minutes, which is entirely possible, it’s hard to see Walker losing this race.