January 28, 2019 at 4:09 p.m.
Poll: Evers' priorities score well among voters
But sharp divisions remain in a purple state
Poll: Evers' priorities score well among voters
The Marquette Law School poll released last week has good and bad news for both parties, though in general - as might be expected just after an election in which Democrat Tony Evers ousted two-term incumbent Scott Walker - Democrats have the upper hand.
On the one hand, most voters don't want to raise taxes to pay for roads. And they handed the GOP Legislature a higher approval rating than they did the new governor.
On the other hand, voters generally like Evers' call for more government spending in education, for expanding Medicaid, for his call to raise the minimum wage, and they backed Democratic positions on redistricting, marijuana legalization, and recent lame-duck legislation to curb the powers of the governor and attorney general.
After the poll was released, Democratic lawmakers seized upon the news to issue a call to action.
Assembly Democratic leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) said the poll confirmed the majority of Wisconsinites support the agenda put forward by Evers and legislative Democrats.
"This poll confirms that the people we represent want us to take the Medicaid expansion, fully fund our public schools, and pass nonpartisan redistricting reform," Hintz said. "The reason Gov. Evers won in November is pretty simple: he listened to the people of our state. Republicans would be wise to join legislative Democrats in governing based on the priorities of the public rather than hiding behind gerrymandered maps to undermine the will of the people."
Rep. David Bowen (D-Milwaukee) also said the poll showed just how enthusiastic people were for the change that Evers has promised and urged the GOP not to be obstructionist.
"This poll shows wide voter support for raising the minimum wage, funding public schools, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, nonpartisan redistricting, and releasing prisoners early once they have served two-thirds of their sentence and are no longer a threat to society," Bowen said.
Bowen also said he agreed with Assembly speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) that when voters chose divided government, they did not choose inaction.
"I hope speaker Vos and Republicans live up to their words and choose to act on the policies that Wisconsinites care about," he said. "Only with bipartisan support can we prove to our constituents that unlike in Washington, where the unpopular government shutdown shows no signs of ending, we in Madison can get things done."
(Note: The partial government shutdown ended Friday after Bowen's statement was released).
The Evers administration weighed in, too, through a statement issued by his spokeswoman, Melissa Baldauff.
"The people overwhelmingly agree with Gov. Evers that we should accept federal funds to expand Medicaid, increase funding for special education, raise the minimum wage, and take steps towards marijuana legalization," Baldauff said. "At the same time, voters are rejecting Republicans' unconstitutional attempt to undermine the will of the people."
Baldauff said Evers would present a "people's budget" next month.
The details
In the poll, voters remained sharply divided over such issues as the Affordable Care Act, and especially the state's participation in a lawsuit against Obamacare. According to the poll, 48 percent of registered voters think Wisconsin should withdraw from the lawsuit, but 42 percent say the state should soldier on.
Funding for education and roads shows a political dichotomy.
By a 55-39 percent margin, voters want to spend more on K-12 education as opposed to lowering property taxes. But 52 percent prefer to keep the status quo on gas taxes and fees compared to 42 percent who favor higher taxes and fees to pay for increased spending on roads.
Democrats clearly have the upper hand on Medicaid expansion, with 62 percent wanting the state to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid and 25 percent opposing the expansion.
There's also bipartisan and overwhelming support in the poll for increasing state spending on special education: 73 percent favor an increase; 20 percent oppose. As for the minimum wage, 55 percent support increasing the minimum wage and 39 percent oppose raising it.
Redistricting and marijuana legalization are two more areas where Democratic views prevail among the electorate.
"Seventy-two percent of voters say they prefer redistricting of legislative and congressional districts to be done by a nonpartisan commission, while 18 percent prefer redistricting be done by the Legislature and governor," the poll stated. "Majorities in each partisan group favor a nonpartisan commission for redistricting, with 63 percent of Republicans including leaners, 83 percent of Democrats including leaners, and 76 percent of independents favoring a nonpartisan commission."
Less than 30 percent of each group preferred that redistricting be done by the Legislature and governor, the poll reported.
Almost 60 percent of poll respondents want marijuana legalized. That's up from the 46 percent who favored legalization in 2014.
The recent lame-duck legislation to curb the powers of the Democratic governor and attorney general was unpopular with voters.
According to the poll, only 15 percent of voters strongly approved of the limits placed on the governor and attorney general, with 16 percent approving somewhat. But 41 percent strongly disapproved and 14 percent disapproved somewhat.
Voter approval ratings also reflect a deeply divided state. For example, 53 percent said they did not want to see Walker run for statewide office again, while only 37 percent say they would like to see him run for governor or senator in 2022.
By contrast, the GOP-controlled Legislature was scoring high marks, scoring a 52-percent approval rating, with 31 percent disapproval and 16 percent without an opinion.
Evers's job approval among registered voters wasn't so robust, standing at 39 percent, with 22 percent disapproving and 38 percent saying they did not have an opinion, the poll reported.
"Evers was viewed favorably by 41 percent and unfavorably by 24 percent. Another 28 percent say they have not heard enough about him, and 6 percent say they do not know," the poll stated.
The poll of 800 registered voters, interviewed by cellphone or landline, was conducted Jan. 16-20, and had a margin of error of +/-3.9 percent.
Richard Moore is the author of the forthcoming "Storyfinding: From the Journey to the Story" and can be reached at richardmoorebooks.com.
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