Johnson holds narrow lead over Barnes in Wisconsin: poll

Sen. Ron Johnson (R) has pulled slightly ahead of Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes (D) as the two vie for the Wisconsin senator’s seat in November’s midterm elections, according to a poll from Marquette University Law School released Wednesday.  

The poll puts Johnson ahead of Barnes by just 1 percentage point. The incumbent garnered 49 percent support from likely voters, and his Democratic challenger garnered 48 percent support.

The results are within the poll’s margin of error. 

The recent poll numbers are a sign of a tightening race in the Badger State. A Marquette poll released last month showed Barnes ahead of Johnson by 7 percentage points, 52 percent to 45 percent. 

The survey comes as Democrats look to pick up a Senate seat in the swing state and oust Johnson, a staunch ally of former President Trump. 

Barnes has been backed by the likes of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and on Wednesday was endorsed by leading climate group the Sunrise Movement. 

Johnson stoked controversy last month when he suggested that Social Security and Medicare should be up for congressional approval each year and classified as discretionary spending. Last week, he backtracked on his earlier support for the Senate’s bill to protect same-sex marriage. 

Johnson was viewed favorably by 39 percent of respondents in the latest poll and unfavorably by 47 percent. The lieutenant governor, by contrast, was viewed favorably by 33 percent but unfavorably by 32 percent of respondents.  

Forty-four percent of voters said it appears Barnes “better understands the problems faced by ordinary people in Wisconsin” than Johnson, while 40 percent said the reverse. 

The poll was conducted Sept. 6 to Sept. 11 and surveyed 801 registered Wisconsin voters, with a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points overall and 4.9 percentage points among likely voters.