A new poll of Wisconsin voters finds former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes leading the Democratic primary for governor by a substantial margin, but nearly 40% of likely voters remain undecided less than three months from the August primary.
The Public Sentiment Institute survey shows Barnes with 24.1% among likely voters in the Democratic primary. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez trails at 12.3%, followed by state Rep. Francesca Hong at 8.5% and Milwaukee Mayor David Crowley at 8.0%. 39% of respondents remain undecided.
In hypothetical general election matchups for governor, Barnes leads Tiffany 45% to 41%, with 11% undecided. Hong edges Tiffany 40.5% to 39.7% with 16.3% undecided.
The poll was conducted May 13-15 of 880 registered Voters and 877 likely voters and has a margin of error of +/- 4.2%.
Public Sentiment Institute was launched earlier this year and describes itself as providing “independent research on public opinion, political finance, and institutional accountability with “data-driven analysis.”
Its poll is something of an outlier, as all surveys of the Democratic field conducted this year show a tight race with Hong holding a narrow lead. A March Marquette University Law School poll—considered by many to be the gold standard of polling in Wisconsin—showed Hong leading the field at 14% with Barnes in second place at 11%.
