Poll: Baldwin leads GOP challenger by double digits in Wisconsin

Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D) leads her Republican challenger, Leah Vukmir, by double digits ahead of November’s midterms, according to a new poll.

The Marquette Law School survey of likely voters released Wednesday found Baldwin with the support of 53 percent of Wisconsinites, while Vukmir trails at 43 percent. The poll shows a 1-point swing in Vukmir’s favor between September and October, with just 3 percent of voters remaining undecided between the two candidates.

{mosads}Among all registered voters, the numbers are strikingly similar, with Vukmir receiving 42 percent support compared to a steady 53 percent for the Democratic incumbent.

The race previously appeared much closer, with an August poll from Marquette finding Vukmir and Baldwin separated by just 2 percentage points.

The results are a bright spot for Democrats eager to hold on to Senate seats in states where President Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016. The party would need to gain a net of two seats to take back the upper chamber, but Republicans face a much easier electoral map and are increasingly bullish on their chances of keeping the Senate or even expanding their majority.

Trump edged out Clinton in Wisconsin two years ago, winning 47 percent of the vote compared to her 46 percent.

In 2012, Baldwin she won 51 percent of the vote compared to 45 percent for her Republican challenger.

Marquette’s latest poll was conducted between Oct. 3-7 and surveyed 1,000 Wisconsin voters, 799 of whom said they were likely to vote in November. The margin of error for all voters is 3.6 percentage points, while the margin of error for the subset of likely voters is 3.9 percentage points.