Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has a significant lead over Republican presidential candidate John McCain in Wisconsin, according to recent polls.
A WISC-TV poll, conducted Oct. 5 and 6 on 600 likely voters, indicated Obama has a lead of 10 percentage points over McCain.
According to the poll, Obama has the votes of 11 percent of voters from McCain's own party, as well as 52 percent of independents in Wisconsin.
Polls released Wednesday by SurveyUSA and Rasmussen Reports also show Obama leading McCain in Wisconsin by 10 percentage points.
UW-Madison political science professor Katherine Cramer Walsh attributes Obama's surge in popularity to the recent debates and the state of the economy.
I think people are attaching the downpour of the economy to the Bush administration, and by virtue of that, McCain,"" she said.
According to the WISC-TV poll, 57 percent of Wisconsin voters have more trust in Obama's ability to handle the economy, while only 31 percent have more trust in McCain.
McCain withdrew his campaign from Michigan last week due to the state's stable support for Obama, causing some to question whether he would leave Wisconsin as well.
""It's possible,"" Walsh said. ""It wouldn't be all that surprising for him to marshal his resources elsewhere where he thinks he has a better shot at getting the electoral votes.""
Kristen Kukowski, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, said she is still optimistic.
""I think there's plenty of time left,"" Kukowski said. ""Senator McCain has a three-day visit scheduled in Wisconsin at the end of this week, and every time he's in the state we feel we have a great opportunity to make headway.""
Matt Lehrich, deputy communications director for the Wisconsin Campaign for Change, said he still expects a close race in Wisconsin.
""The polls go up and down, and they change from week to week, and at the end of the day it doesn't change what we're doing here,"" Lehrich said.
