New surveys of the Wisconsin electorate show residents are more likely to vote for Democrats in the presidential primary and approval of the state Legislature has dropped significantly since the spring because of the past budget impasse.
One of the Wisconsin Public Radio/St. Norbert College surveys stated that if the presidential primary were held in the state today, 45 percent would be more likely to vote for a Democratic candidate and 33 percent for a Republican.
Nine percent said they would vote for an Independent candidate and 12 percent were not sure.
Of the participants who said they would vote for a Democrat, 43 percent said they would be most likely to vote for
U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., at 25 percent and former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C., at 15 percent.
The same question for Republican respondents showed former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani at 32 percent , former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., at 14 percent and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., with 13 percent.
St. Norbert College assistant political science professor Wendy Scattergood, who conducted the studies, said the responses on presidential primaries show a shift of political Independents towards the Democratic Party.
The shifting of Independents to one party is what can make Wisconsin a competitive or a purple"" state, Scattergood said.
A poll on approval ratings for Gov. Jim Doyle was also close to the margin of error in the poll, dropping to 54 percent from 60 percent last spring, Scattergood said.
The state Legislature, however, fell from 57 to 41 percent in approval rating. According to Scattergood, the poll results show the public feels the state Legislature is more to blame for the stalled budget negotiations than the governor.
Taxes and the budget were also rated as the number one problems in the state, Scattergood said.
The survey also showed that, according to 72 percent of the respondents, the country is going in the wrong direction.
Mark Jefferson, executive director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said the polling data on voting for Democrats or Republicans would likely change when the nominees for each party are decided early next year.
Jefferson said Wisconsinites' feelings on the national issues would not likely affect state Senate and state Assembly races in the 2008 election.
""When Feingold and Clinton were cleaning up in Wisconsin in 1992, Assembly Republicans picked up six seats,"" Jefferson said.
Rachel Strauch-Nelson, communications director for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, disagreed and said residents' feelings on national politics would affect state government races.
Strauch-Nelson said as the 2008 election draws nearer, support for Democrats would grow because of as she said, a sentiment for change.
""The enthusiasm and the energy is really building on the Democratic side of things because people are really ready to see a new direction,"" Strauch-Nelson said.
UW-Madison political science professor Charles Franklin said the poll reflected data that was similar to polls nationally. Franklin also said it would be ""crazy"" to say there would be no change in the survey data before the Jan. 3 caucuses and the Feb. 19 Wisconsin primary.
