Poll finds Gov. Walker opening lead

A new poll indicates that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is opening up a lead in his close reelection battle. 

The Marquette University Law School poll finds that Walker leads Democratic businesswoman Mary Burke 50 percent to 45 percent among likely voters. Among registered voters, it is tied at 45 percent.

{mosads}Walker is a potential 2016 presidential contender, but first has to get through this race. 

The likely voter result is a wider margin for Walker than in previous polls, and outside the margin of error. A Marquette poll in mid-September found Walker up by 3 points. 

The poll suggests that the controversy over sections of Burke’s jobs plan copied without attribution, first reported by BuzzFeed on Sept. 18, could be taking a toll on the businesswoman.

Eighteen percent say the incident makes them less likely to vote for Burke, while 73 percent say it makes no difference, the poll indicates.

Walker rose to a national figure for sparring with unions and surviving a recall election in 2012.

In a sign of possible presidential ambitions, Walker gave an interview to GQ magazine, published Tuesday, in which he criticizes national Republicans for not making enough of a positive case for themselves. 

The poll finds that 48 percent approve of Walker’s job performance and 49 percent disapprove. Burke is at 36 percent favorable, 37 percent unfavorable, and 26 percent don’t know.