No candidate has established strong position in public favorability in governor, state Supreme Court races; large majorities of voters undecided
Also:
- Inflation and cost of living draw the most concern among voters overall, with big partisan divisions in concern over health insurance and immigration
- Approval of President Trump job performance ticks down, while approval of Gov. Evers ticks up
- Some overall improvement since February in people’s views of their personal financial situations
- Three-way divide on who is responsible for federal shutdown: Republicans, Democrats, or both
MILWAUKEE — MILWAUKEE – A new Marquette Law School Poll of Wisconsin registered voters finds that the majority of both Republicans and Democrats haven’t decided on a primary choice for governor in 2026, while only 6% say they have heard a lot about the campaigns for that office.
In the gubernatorial race, 70% of Republicans and 81% of Democrats haven’t made a primary choice.
In awareness of the various 2026 campaigns for governor, 57% of registered voters have heard a little and 37% have heard nothing at all, along with the aforementioned 6% who have heard a lot. Those who have heard a lot or a little about the governor’s race are also substantially undecided, with 64% undecided in the Republican primary and 73% undecided in the Democratic primary.
With no incumbent running in either party’s primary, it is not surprising that all candidates are little known statewide, and the long primary campaign must introduce them to the voters. In the Republican primary, Rep. Tom Tiffany is the best known, with 39% who recognize his name and have an opinion of him. In the same primary, Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann is recognized by 17%, and medical service technician Andy Manske is recognized by 11%.
In the Democratic primary, Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley is recognized by 26%, closely followed by Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez at 25% name recognition and State Rep. Francesca Hong with 22%. Candidates with recognition rates in the teens include state Sen. Kelda Roys, 17%; lawyer Missy Hughes, 16%; former state Rep. Brett Hulsey, 15%; and Milwaukee beer vendor Ryan Strnad, 11%.
The primary date for the governor’s race is scheduled for Aug. 11, 2026, with the final election on Nov. 3, 2026.
Name recognition and favorability for all candidates are shown in Table 1. Only two candidates, Schoemann and Rodriguez, have positive net favorability, just 1 point in each case, while other candidates have net negative favorability in single digits. In all cases, more than 60% of registered voters say they haven’t heard enough or don’t know how they feel about the candidates.
Table 1: Favorability of gubernatorial candidates
Among registered voters
| Candidate | ||||||
| Name ID | Net Fav | Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | Don’t know | |
| Republican Primary | ||||||
| Andy Manske | 11 | -3 | 4 | 7 | 87 | 2 |
| Josh Schoemann | 17 | 1 | 9 | 8 | 81 | 2 |
| Tom Tiffany | 39 | -3 | 18 | 21 | 60 | 2 |
| Democratic Primary | ||||||
| David Crowley | 26 | -2 | 12 | 14 | 72 | 2 |
| Francesca Hong | 22 | -6 | 8 | 14 | 76 | 2 |
| Missy Hughes | 16 | -6 | 5 | 11 | 83 | 2 |
| Brett Hulsey | 15 | -7 | 4 | 11 | 82 | 2 |
| Sara Rodriguez | 25 | 1 | 13 | 12 | 74 | 1 |
| Kelda Roys | 17 | -3 | 7 | 10 | 81 | 2 |
| Ryan Strnad | 11 | -5 | 3 | 8 | 87 | 2 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||||
| Question: Here are some people running for governor. Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of [INSERT NAME] or haven’t you heard enough about them yet? | ||||||
| Note: Name ID is the percentage that have an opinion of the candidate | ||||||
The survey was conducted Oct. 15-22, 2025, interviewing 846 Wisconsin registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.5 percentage points. To cover more subjects, a number of items were asked of random half-samples of 423 registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-6.4 percentage points. The sample size for Republican primary voters is 406, with a margin of error of 6.4 percentage points. The sample size for Democratic primary voters is 378, with a margin of error of 6.9 percentage points.
There are generally small differences in name recognition by party identification, with Republicans and Democrats about equally likely to recognize candidates of their own and of the opposing party. Net favorability, however, differs by party, with Republicans more net favorable to Republican candidates and net negative to Democratic candidates, and Democrats net favorable to their party’s candidates, with two exceptions, and unfavorable to the Republican candidates. These results are shown in Table 2.
Table 2: 2026 gubernatorial race, name ID and favorability, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Candidate | ||||||
| Reps: Name ID | Inds: Name ID | Dems: Name ID | Reps: Net Fav | Inds: Net Fav | Dems: Net Fav | |
| Republican Primary | ||||||
| Andy Manske | 10 | 16 | 10 | 0 | -4 | -6 |
| Josh Schoemann | 23 | 19 | 11 | 13 | -7 | -9 |
| Tom Tiffany | 39 | 34 | 40 | 29 | 0 | -38 |
| Democratic Primary | ||||||
| David Crowley | 25 | 37 | 24 | -13 | -7 | 10 |
| Francesca Hong | 22 | 22 | 21 | -20 | -16 | 13 |
| Missy Hughes | 19 | 15 | 12 | -17 | -5 | 6 |
| Brett Hulsey | 15 | 24 | 13 | -9 | -16 | -1 |
| Sara Rodriguez | 23 | 29 | 27 | -17 | 1 | 21 |
| Kelda Roys | 14 | 21 | 18 | -14 | -9 | 10 |
| Ryan Strnad | 12 | 16 | 9 | -8 | -2 | -3 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||||
| Question: Here are some people running for governor. Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of [INSERT NAME] or haven’t you heard enough about them yet? | ||||||
| Note: Name ID is the percentage that have an opinion of the candidate | ||||||
There is some regional variation in candidate name recognition, the most substantial being Tiffany’s in the north and western media markets of the state, where 60% have an opinion of him. This region substantially overlaps with his 7th Congressional District. Crowley is also considerably better known in the Milwaukee media market. With the exception of Tiffany, candidates are a bit better known in the Milwaukee and Madison media markets than they are in the Green Bay market or the north and western markets. These results are shown in Table 3.
Table 3: 2026 gubernatorial race, name ID, by media market
Among registered voters
| Candidate | ||||
| Milwaukee market: Name ID | Madison market: Name ID | Green Bay: Name ID | North & Western markets: Name ID | |
| Republican Primary | ||||
| Andy Manske | 14 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Josh Schoemann | 24 | 16 | 12 | 12 |
| Tom Tiffany | 34 | 36 | 27 | 60 |
| Democratic Primary | ||||
| David Crowley | 42 | 20 | 12 | 17 |
| Francesca Hong | 27 | 28 | 13 | 17 |
| Missy Hughes | 20 | 16 | 9 | 12 |
| Brett Hulsey | 19 | 20 | 10 | 10 |
| Sara Rodriguez | 31 | 29 | 17 | 17 |
| Kelda Roys | 20 | 25 | 10 | 9 |
| Ryan Strnad | 14 | 13 | 9 | 6 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||
| Question: Here are some people running for governor. Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of [INSERT NAME] or haven’t you heard enough about them yet? | ||||
| Note: Name ID is the percentage that have an opinion of the candidate | ||||
| Note: Media markets contain a number of counties surrounding the city for which they are named. The north and western markets include La Crosse/Eau Claire, Wausau, Minneapolis, and Duluth/Superior markets. | ||||
While 70% of Republican primary voters say they have not made up their minds, Tiffany receives 23%, Schoemann gets 6%, and Manske less than half of a percent.
Among Democrats, where 81% are undecided, no candidate receives more than single digit support. Hong holds 6%, Rodriguez 4%, Crowley 3%, Roys 3%, Hughes 2%, Strnad less than half a percent, and Hulsey with no support in this poll.
Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates
The two announced Wisconsin Supreme Court candidates are also little known to the public. The name recognition of Waukesha-based appeals court Judge Maria Lazar is 15%. For Madison-based appeals court Judge Chris Taylor, it is 16%. Lazar is seen favorably by 7% and unfavorably by 8%. For Taylor, 7% have a favorable opinion and 9% have an unfavorable opinion.
Only 6% say they have heard a lot about the Supreme Court election in April, with 46% having heard a little and 47% having heard nothing at all.
At this early stage of the campaign, 10% say they have a clear idea what Lazar stands for and 11% have a clear idea what Taylor stands for.
Despite the lack of knowledge about the race, 69% of registered voters say they are absolutely certain to vote in April, while 20% say they are very likely to vote, 10% say the chances are 50-50, and 2% say they won’t vote. Among Democrats, 74% are certain they will vote, as are 69% of Republicans and 52% of independents.
A large majority of voters, 83%, think that judicial candidates should discuss issues likely to come before them if elected so that voters know what the candidates stand for, while 17% say candidates should avoid talking about such issues in order not to seem to be pre-judging cases. In February 2025, 79% said judicial candidates should discuss issues.
Fifty-six percent say Wisconsin Supreme Court campaigns have become so partisan that we should change to partisan election of judges, while 43% say we should continue the current non-partisan election of judges to the court. Among Republicans, 63% say we should change to partisan elections, while 49% of independents and 49% of Democrats favor partisan elections.
Issue concerns
Sixty-nine percent of respondents say they are very concerned about inflation and the cost of living. Health insurance drew the second largest response, with 60% saying they are very concerned. Voters could select more than one issue that was very concerning to them. Between 56% and 50% say they are very concerned about five other issues: in descending order of concern, these are public schools, gun violence, jobs and the economy, the affordability of housing, and abortion policy. Forty-eight percent say they are very concerned about taxes, and 45% say the matter of illegal immigration and border security is very concerning. As for crime in their community, 31% say they are very concerned. The full results are shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Issue concerns
Among registered voters
| Issue | Concern | |||
| Very concerned | Somewhat concerned | Not too concerned | Not at all concerned | |
| Inflation and the cost of living | 69 | 26 | 4 | 1 |
| Health insurance | 60 | 27 | 8 | 5 |
| Public schools | 56 | 30 | 11 | 3 |
| Gun violence | 56 | 19 | 19 | 7 |
| Jobs and the economy | 53 | 36 | 9 | 2 |
| Affordability of housing | 53 | 27 | 12 | 8 |
| Abortion policy | 50 | 23 | 16 | 11 |
| Taxes | 48 | 37 | 10 | 5 |
| Illegal immigration & border security | 45 | 22 | 16 | 17 |
| Crime in your community | 31 | 25 | 32 | 11 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||
| Question: How concerned are you about each of the following? | ||||
There are substantial partisan differences in issue concerns. Table 5 shows the percentage who are very concerned about each issue, by party identification. Republicans express less concern about 7 of the 10 issues than do Democrats, while they are more concerned about 3 issues. On the issue of greatest concern among all registered votes—inflation—54% of Republicans are very concerned, compared to 79% of independents and 83% of Democrats. The partisan gap is even larger for health insurance and for gun violence, where Republicans are much less concerned than are Democrats. The largest partisan gap is over illegal immigration and border security, where 75% of Republicans are very concerned, compared to 31% of independents and 16% of Democrats. The smallest partisan differences are concern over taxes and over public schools.
Table 5: Issue concerns, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Issue | Percent very concerned by party ID | ||||
| All registered voters | Rep-Dem difference | Republican | Independent | Democrat | |
| Inflation and the cost of living | 69 | -29 | 54 | 79 | 83 |
| Health insurance | 60 | -45 | 39 | 62 | 83 |
| Public schools | 56 | -12 | 52 | 43 | 64 |
| Gun violence | 56 | -46 | 32 | 66 | 78 |
| Jobs and the economy | 53 | -30 | 40 | 47 | 70 |
| Affordability of housing | 53 | -37 | 35 | 56 | 72 |
| Abortion policy | 50 | -17 | 41 | 59 | 58 |
| Taxes | 48 | 4 | 48 | 61 | 44 |
| Illegal immigration & border security | 45 | 60 | 75 | 31 | 16 |
| Crime in your community | 31 | 21 | 39 | 42 | 18 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |||||
| Question: How concerned are you about each of the following? | |||||
The low concern over “crime in your community” relative to other issues is similar to Marquette polling in April 2022, when 27% said they were very concerned. In part, this reflects a substantial sense of personal safety. Asked “do you feel safe from crime when going about your daily activities,” 81% say they feel safe, while 19% say they are worried about their safety. In five Marquette polls since 2021, between 76% and 82% have said they feel safe in their daily activities.
Most important issue
Respondents were asked which issue is most important to them. Inflation tops this list at 27%, as shown in Table 6. The issue rated second most important is illegal immigration and border security, picked by 16%, followed by health insurance, 14%. While respondents registered considerable concern about public schools (as shown above), only 4% rate this as most important.
Table 6: Most important issue
Among registered voters
| Issue | |
| Percent most important | |
| Inflation and the cost of living | 27 |
| Illegal immigration and border security | 16 |
| Health insurance | 14 |
| Jobs and the economy | 9 |
| Gun violence | 9 |
| Affordability of housing | 9 |
| Taxes | 6 |
| Abortion policy | 4 |
| Public schools | 4 |
| Crime in your community | 2 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |
| Question: Which one of the following issues matters MOST to you right now? | |
As with concern about issues, there are substantial partisan differences on which issue is most important, as shown in Table 7.
- Independents and Democrats rate inflation as their most important issue, while Republicans rate it second behind illegal immigration and border security.
- All three partisan groups rate jobs and the economy very similarly.
- Health insurance is third most important among Republicans, second among Democrats, and fourth for independents.
- Taxes are picked as most important for Republicans, at 10%, while only 1% of Democrats say this is most important and independents fall in between, at 5%.
- Gun violence is more important for Democrats and independents but less important for Republicans, with a similar pattern for affordability of housing.
- Abortion policy, which was a more central focus in 2022, has declined as a “most important” issue among all partisan groups in 2025.
- Crime is also picked by only a few as most important.
Table 7: Most important issue, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Issue | |||||
| All registered voters | Rep-Dem difference | Republican | Independent | Democrat | |
| Inflation and the cost of living | 27 | -9 | 23 | 27 | 32 |
| Illegal immigration and border security | 16 | 29 | 31 | 8 | 3 |
| Health insurance | 14 | -7 | 11 | 10 | 18 |
| Jobs and the economy | 9 | -1 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Gun violence | 9 | -12 | 2 | 16 | 14 |
| Affordability of housing | 9 | -5 | 5 | 16 | 10 |
| Taxes | 6 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 1 |
| Abortion policy | 4 | -2 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Public schools | 4 | -2 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Crime in your community | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 1 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |||||
| Question: Which one of the following issues matters MOST to you right now? | |||||
Forty-four percent say prices of groceries have gone up a lot over the past six months, 32% say prices have gone up a little, 13% say they have stayed about the same, and 11% say they have gone down a little. Fewer than 1% say grocery prices have gone down a lot.
Republicans are much more likely to say grocery prices have gone down or stayed the same than are independents and Democrats, as shown in Table 8. Independents are more likely than Democrats to say prices have remained about the same, but more independents than Democrats say prices have gone up a lot.
Table 8: Change in grocery prices, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Change in prices | |||
| Gone down a little or a lot | Stayed about the same | Gone up a little | Gone up a lot | |
| Among all registered voters | 11 | 13 | 32 | 44 |
| Republican | 23 | 23 | 30 | 25 |
| Independent | 2 | 11 | 23 | 64 |
| Democrat | 1 | 2 | 38 | 59 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||
| Question: How has the price you pay for groceries changed over the last six months? | ||||
The perceived change in grocery prices is also higher among women than among men. Among women, 51% say prices have gone up a lot, while among men 36% say the same. This gap is not explained by the fact that women are more likely to be Democrats than are men. Within party, 32% of Republican women and 17% of Republican men say grocery prices have gone up a lot. Among independents, 80% of women and 49% of men say prices are up a lot, and among Democrats, 61% of women and 55% of men see substantially higher prices.
A majority of respondents, 57%, think President Donald Trump’s policies will increase inflation, while 30% say his policies will decrease inflation and 12% believe they will have no effect on inflation. Here, too, there are substantial partisan differences, as seen in Table 9. A majority of Republicans, 60%, say Trump’s policies will decrease inflation, while 69% of independents and 96% of Democrats think his policies will increase inflation.
Table 9: Effect of Trump policies on inflation, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Effect of policies | ||
| Decrease inflation | Increase inflation | Have no effect on inflation | |
| Among all registered voters | 30 | 57 | 12 |
| Republican | 60 | 18 | 21 |
| Independent | 14 | 69 | 17 |
| Democrat | 1 | 96 | 1 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |||
| Question: Do you think Trump’s policy proposals will decrease inflation, increase inflation, or have no effect on inflation? | |||
Twenty-eight percent of registered voters say they are better off than a year ago, while 30% say they are worse off and 42% say they are about the same. That marks some improvement from February, when 21% said they were better off, 31% were worse off, and 49% were about the same.
Family financial situation is somewhat improved from a year ago. In October 2024, 44% said they were living comfortably. In the new poll, 50% say they are comfortable. The percent who said they were struggling financially was 17% a year ago and is 11% now. The percent of those just getting by has not changed, at 39% in both 2024 and 2025.
National issues
Tariffs have been a central focus of the second Trump administration. Voters are doubtful of their impact on the economy, with 33% saying tariffs help the economy, 55% saying they hurt the economy, and 11% saying they don’t make much difference. The percentage saying tariffs help the economy was similar during the first Trump administration in 2019 and 2020, but the percentage saying they hurt the economy is somewhat larger in Trump’s second term, as shown in Table 10.
Table 10: Effect of tariffs on the economy
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Effect of tariffs | ||
| Helps US economy | Hurts US economy | Doesn’t make much difference | |
| 8/25-29/19 | 30 | 46 | 17 |
| 10/13-17/19 | 33 | 41 | 17 |
| 1/8-12/20 | 32 | 37 | 24 |
| 2/19-26/25 | 32 | 51 | 16 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 31 | 57 | 10 |
| 10/15-22/25 | 33 | 55 | 11 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |||
| Question: In general, do you think imposing tariffs or fees on products imported from other countries helps the U.S. economy, hurts the economy, or doesn’t make much of a difference either way? | |||
Sixty-four percent of Republicans say tariffs will help the economy, while 55% of independents and 95% of Democrats think they will hurt the economy. The full results are shown in Table 11.
Table 11: Effect of tariffs on the economy, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Effect of tariffs | ||
| Helps US economy | Hurts US economy | Doesn’t make much difference | |
| Among all registered voters | 33 | 55 | 11 |
| Republican | 64 | 19 | 16 |
| Independent | 25 | 55 | 19 |
| Democrat | 2 | 95 | 3 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |||
| Question: In general, do you think imposing tariffs or fees on products imported from other countries helps the U.S. economy, hurts the economy, or doesn’t make much of a difference either way? | |||
Asked if tariffs are helping or hurting Wisconsin farmers, 16% say they are helping, 62% say they are hurting farmers, and 20% believe they aren’t making much difference. While a majority of Republicans said tariffs in general help the economy, Republicans are evenly divided over whether tariffs are helping Wisconsin farmers, with 31% saying they are helping farmers, 32% saying hurting, and 36% saying they have not made much difference. Majorities of independents and Democrats say the tariffs are hurting farmers, as shown in Table 12.
Table 12: Are tariffs helping Wisconsin farmers, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Tariffs helping or hurting Wisconsin farmers | ||
| Helping Wisconsin farmers | Hurting Wisconsin farmers | Not making much of a difference | |
| Among all registered voters | 16 | 62 | 20 |
| Republican | 31 | 32 | 36 |
| Independent | 15 | 63 | 20 |
| Democrat | 0 | 95 | 3 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |||
| Question: Do you think tariffs are helping or hurting Wisconsin farmers, or not making much of a difference either way? | |||
Overall, voters are about evenly divided over which party is most responsible for the shutdown of the federal government, with 33% saying the Democrats, 38% saying the Republicans, and 28% saying they are equally responsible. The gap in partisan views of who is responsible is quite large, with each party blaming the other. A majority of independents blame both parties, as shown in Table 13.
Table 13: Which party is responsible for government shutdown by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Responsible for federal government shutdown | ||
| The Democrats in Congress | The Republicans in Congress | Both equally | |
| Among all registered voters | 33 | 38 | 28 |
| Republican | 71 | 2 | 27 |
| Independent | 10 | 26 | 63 |
| Democrat | 0 | 82 | 18 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |||
| Question: Who do you think is most responsible for the shutdown of the federal government? | |||
One issue facing Congress is whether to extend increased tax credits that help pay for health insurance purchased through the marketplace created by the Affordable Care Act, or to let the increased credits expire at the end of 2025. Fifty-eight percent say the credits should be extended, while 41% say they should be allowed to expire. Among Republicans, 67% say the credits should expire, while 54% of independents and 89% of Democrats want the credits extended.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA), often called Obamacare, is seen favorably by 53% and unfavorably by 38%, with 8% who say they don’t know enough about it. Since the act was adopted in 2010, support for it has increased and opposition declined. In June 2017, shortly before the first Trump administration’s attempt to repeal parts of the ACA, 51% had an unfavorable view of the ACA and 41% had a favorable view, in a Marquette Law School Poll of Wisconsin.
State issues
Data centers
A majority of voters statewide, 55%, say the costs of large data centers are greater than the benefits they provide, while 44% say the benefits outweigh the costs. Opinion differs little across the state, with 53% in the Milwaukee media market saying the costs outweigh the benefits, as do 50% in the Green Bay media market and 53% in the north and western media markets of the state. In the Madison media market, 63% say the costs outweigh the benefits.
Paid family leave
A large majority, 77%, favor requiring businesses to provide paid family leave for mothers and fathers of newborns, while 22% are opposed. This is little changed from October 2022, when 73% favored and 18% opposed requiring businesses to provide paid parental leave. In the current poll, 64% of Republicans, 72% of independents, and 93% of Democrats favor paid leave.
Voter registration
There is majority support for requiring a photo ID to vote, for continuing to allow election day registration for voting, and for requiring proof of citizenship in order to register to vote.
The photo ID requirement, which has been in effect for more than a decade, is favored by 78%, an increase from 60% in late October 2014.
Continuing the current Wisconsin law that allows voters to register on election day is favored by 78% and opposed by 22%.
A proposal to require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote is favored by 72% and opposed by 27%
Concealed carry
The current Wisconsin law allowing residents to obtain a license to carry concealed handguns is favored by 77% and opposed by 22%, an increase in support since January 2016, when 63% were in favor.
Proposals to allow concealed carry without a licensing requirement are opposed by 78% and favored by 20%. This is little changed from October 2021, when 76% were opposed and 20% were in favor.
Public schools
Sixty-two percent of voters say they are very or somewhat satisfied with the job public schools are doing, with 37% saying they are very or somewhat dissatisfied. Satisfaction has generally been above 60% in polling since 2018, a bit lower than in polls from 2012 to 2017, when satisfaction was often above 70%, as shown in Table 14.
Table 14: Satisfaction with the job public schools are doing
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Satisfaction | ||
| Very satisfied/satisfied | Very dissatisfied/dissatisfied | Don’t know/mixed | |
| 10/15-22/25 | 62 | 37 | 1 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 63 | 36 | 1 |
| 2/19-26/25 | 58 | 41 | 1 |
| 10/16-24/24 | 65 | 35 | 1 |
| 9/18-26/24 | 64 | 36 | 1 |
| 6/12-20/24 | 46 | 41 | 13 |
| 10/26-11/2/23 | 63 | 35 | 2 |
| 6/8-13/23 | 67 | 31 | 2 |
| 9/6-11/22 | 62 | 31 | 7 |
| 4/19-24/22 | 62 | 32 | 5 |
| 10/26-31/21 | 60 | 30 | 9 |
| 8/3-8/21 | 69 | 22 | 9 |
| 1/8-12/20 | 59 | 33 | 8 |
| 9/12-16/18 | 64 | 25 | 11 |
| 3/13-16/17 | 74 | 19 | 6 |
| 4/7-10/15 | 75 | 21 | 3 |
| 5/6-9/13 | 71 | 25 | 4 |
| 3/11-13/13 | 81 | 14 | 5 |
| 5/23-26/12 | 71 | 24 | 5 |
| 5/9-12/12 | 68 | 25 | 6 |
| 4/26-29/12 | 66 | 27 | 6 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |||
| Question: How satisfied are you with the job the public schools are doing in your community? | |||
Voters have grown more concerned with holding down property taxes than with increasing funding for K-12 schools in recent years. In this poll, 56% say reducing property taxes is more important, while 44% say increasing funding for K-12 schools is more important. In 2013, more voters were concerned with property taxes than school funding, but this reversed from 2015 until November 2022. Since June 2023, more have rated property taxes as more important. The full trend is shown in Table 15.
Table 15: More important: reducing property taxes or increasing K-12 funding
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Which more important | |
| Reducing property taxes | Increasing spending on public schools | |
| 10/15-22/25 | 56 | 44 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 57 | 43 |
| 2/19-26/25 | 58 | 41 |
| 10/16-24/24 | 55 | 44 |
| 9/18-26/24 | 56 | 44 |
| 10/26-11/2/23 | 52 | 47 |
| 6/8-13/23 | 50 | 47 |
| 10/24-11/1/22 | 46 | 48 |
| 10/3-9/22 | 42 | 52 |
| 9/6-11/22 | 41 | 51 |
| 8/10-15/22 | 43 | 52 |
| 4/19-24/22 | 46 | 50 |
| 8/3-8/21 | 42 | 52 |
| 2/19-23/20 | 38 | 56 |
| 1/8-12/20 | 41 | 55 |
| 1/16-20/19 | 39 | 55 |
| 10/24-28/18 | 40 | 55 |
| 10/3-7/18 | 37 | 57 |
| 9/12-16/18 | 38 | 57 |
| 8/15-19/18 | 32 | 61 |
| 6/13-17/18 | 35 | 59 |
| 2/25-3/1/18 | 33 | 63 |
| 4/7-10/15 | 40 | 54 |
| 5/6-9/13 | 49 | 46 |
| 3/11-13/13 | 49 | 46 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||
| Question: Which is more important to you: reduce property taxes or increase spending on public schools? | ||
In this poll, for the first time, a majority, 57%, say they would be inclined to vote against a referendum to increase taxes for schools in their community, while 43% say they would vote for a referendum. Opposition to referendums has increased in polling since 2016, as shown in Table 16.
Table 16: Vote for or against school tax referendum
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Referendum vote | ||
| Vote for | Vote against | Don’t know | |
| 10/15-22/25 | 43 | 57 | 0 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 52 | 46 | 1 |
| 2/19-23/20 | 57 | 34 | 8 |
| 1/21-24/16 | 55 | 35 | 9 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Oct. 15-22, 2025 | |||
| Question: If your local school board proposed a referendum to increase taxes for schools would you be more inclined to vote for or to vote against that referendum? | |||
Approval of governor, legislature, and Wisconsin Supreme Court
Approval of the job Gov. Tony Evers is doing rose to 50%, up slightly from 48% in June. Disapproval declined one point to 45%, compared to 46% in June. The full trend for Evers approval is shown in Table 17.
Table 17: Evers job approval
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Approval | |||
| Net | Approve | Disapprove | Don’t know | |
| 10/15-22/25 | 5 | 50 | 45 | 5 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 2 | 48 | 46 | 5 |
| 2/19-26/25 | 5 | 49 | 44 | 6 |
| 10/16-24/24 | 6 | 51 | 45 | 4 |
| 9/18-26/24 | 2 | 48 | 46 | 5 |
| 8/28-9/5/24 | 7 | 51 | 44 | 5 |
| 7/24-8/1/24 | 7 | 51 | 44 | 5 |
| 6/12-20/24 | 7 | 51 | 44 | 6 |
| 4/3-10/24 | 8 | 52 | 44 | 3 |
| 1/24-31/24 | 7 | 51 | 44 | 5 |
| 10/26-11/2/23 | 7 | 53 | 46 | 2 |
| 6/8-13/23 | 18 | 57 | 39 | 4 |
| 10/24-11/1/22 | -1 | 46 | 47 | 6 |
| 10/3-9/22 | -2 | 46 | 48 | 5 |
| 9/6-11/22 | -3 | 44 | 47 | 8 |
| 8/10-15/22 | 2 | 47 | 45 | 8 |
| 6/14-20/22 | 3 | 48 | 45 | 6 |
| 4/19-24/22 | 6 | 49 | 43 | 7 |
| 2/22-27/22 | 9 | 50 | 41 | 8 |
| 10/26-31/21 | -1 | 45 | 46 | 8 |
| 8/3-8/21 | 7 | 50 | 43 | 7 |
| 10/21-25/20 | 7 | 50 | 43 | 7 |
| 9/30-10/4/20 | 10 | 52 | 42 | 5 |
| 8/30-9/3/20 | 8 | 51 | 43 | 5 |
| 8/4-9/20 | 20 | 57 | 37 | 6 |
| 6/14-18/20 | 16 | 54 | 38 | 6 |
| 5/3-7/20 | 26 | 59 | 33 | 7 |
| 3/24-29/20 | 36 | 65 | 29 | 6 |
| 2/19-23/20 | 13 | 51 | 38 | 10 |
| 1/8-12/20 | 11 | 51 | 40 | 9 |
| 12/3-8/19 | 12 | 50 | 38 | 11 |
| 11/13-17/19 | 5 | 47 | 42 | 10 |
| 10/13-17/19 | 18 | 52 | 34 | 13 |
| 8/25-29/19 | 20 | 54 | 34 | 10 |
| 4/3-7/19 | 10 | 47 | 37 | 15 |
| 1/16-20/19 | 17 | 39 | 22 | 38 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||
| Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Tony Evers is handling his job as Governor of Wisconsin? | ||||
Approval of how the Wisconsin legislature is handling its job is at 39%, slightly down from 41% in June, with disapproval holding steady at 50%. The full trend for approval of the legislature is in Table 18.
Table 18: Legislature job approval
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Approval | |||
| Net | Approve | Disapprove | Don’t know | |
| 10/15-22/25 | -11 | 39 | 50 | 11 |
| 6/13-19/25 | -9 | 41 | 50 | 10 |
| 2/19-26/25 | -11 | 38 | 49 | 13 |
| 9/18-26/24 | -22 | 33 | 55 | 12 |
| 7/24-8/1/24 | -21 | 33 | 54 | 12 |
| 4/3-10/24 | -22 | 34 | 56 | 9 |
| 1/24-31/24 | -24 | 34 | 58 | 8 |
| 10/26-11/2/23 | -17 | 40 | 57 | 3 |
| 4/19-24/22 | -9 | 38 | 47 | 14 |
| 2/22-27/22 | -9 | 37 | 46 | 16 |
| 10/26-31/21 | -10 | 38 | 48 | 14 |
| 8/3-8/21 | -9 | 39 | 48 | 13 |
| 10/21-25/20 | -14 | 36 | 50 | 13 |
| 5/3-7/20 | 6 | 46 | 40 | 13 |
| 2/19-23/20 | 6 | 46 | 40 | 13 |
| 11/13-17/19 | 9 | 48 | 39 | 13 |
| 8/25-29/19 | 14 | 52 | 38 | 8 |
| 4/3-7/19 | 12 | 50 | 38 | 11 |
| 1/16-20/19 | 21 | 52 | 31 | 16 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||
| Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way the Wisconsin legislature is handling its job? | ||||
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has held a net positive approval rating in polling since 2023, with approval at 45% and disapproval at 39% in October. Approval is down from 49% in June and disapproval is up slightly, from 38% then. The full trend is shown in Table 19.
Table 19: Wisconsin Supreme Court job approval
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Approval | |||
| Net | Approve | Disapprove | Don’t know | |
| 10/15-22/25 | 6 | 45 | 39 | 15 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 11 | 49 | 38 | 13 |
| 2/19-26/25 | 9 | 46 | 37 | 16 |
| 9/18-26/24 | 4 | 44 | 40 | 15 |
| 7/24-8/1/24 | 9 | 46 | 37 | 17 |
| 4/3-10/24 | 7 | 46 | 39 | 15 |
| 1/24-31/24 | 2 | 45 | 43 | 13 |
| 10/26-11/2/23 | 8 | 51 | 43 | 5 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||
| Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way the Wisconsin state Supreme Court is handling its job? | ||||
Approval of Donald Trump
Approval of Trump’s handling of his job as president stands at 46% with disapproval at 53%. In June, approval was 47% and disapproval was 52%. In the first poll of Trump’s second term, in February 2025, approval was 48% and disapproval 51%.
Favorability of political figures
The late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed by a gunman in Utah on Sept. 10, is seen favorably by 46% and unfavorably by 40%, with 13% who say they haven’t heard enough to have an opinion of him.
Among state political figures, Evers has a net favorable opinion of +5 points, with Sen. Tammy Baldwin at a net -2 and Sen. Ron Johnson with a net -7.
Among national political figures, Vice President JD Vance has a 41% favorable and 50% unfavorable rating. Trump has a similar net rating, with 44% favorable and 54% unfavorable.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is viewed favorably by 38% and unfavorably by 52%. Former Vice President Kamala Harris has a 38% favorable rating and 59% unfavorable rating. In the final pre-election poll in October 2024, Harris was seen favorably by 47% and unfavorably by 52%.
The full set of favorability ratings is shown in Table 20.
Table 20: Favorability to state and national political figures
Among registered voters
| Political figure | Favorability | |||
| Net Fav | Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| Charlie Kirk | 6 | 46 | 40 | 13 |
| Tony Evers | 5 | 48 | 43 | 8 |
| Tammy Baldwin | -2 | 44 | 46 | 10 |
| Ron Johnson | -7 | 37 | 44 | 17 |
| JD Vance | -9 | 41 | 50 | 9 |
| Donald Trump | -10 | 44 | 54 | 2 |
| Robert F. Kennedy Jr. | -14 | 38 | 52 | 9 |
| Kamala Harris | -21 | 38 | 59 | 3 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||
| Question: Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of [INSERT NAME] or haven’t you heard enough about them yet? | ||||
Favorability to political groups
Each political organization has a net negative favorability rating. The Republican party is viewed favorably by 45% and unfavorably by 51%. The Democratic party is seen more negatively, with 37% favorable and 57% unfavorable.
The Black Lives Matter movement is rated favorably by 41% and unfavorably by 50%. The Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement is seen favorably 41%, with 54% holding an unfavorable view. The full set of ratings is shown in Table 21.
Table 21: Favorability to political organizations
Among registered voters
| Political organization | Favorability | |||
| Net Fav | Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| The Republican Party | -6 | 45 | 51 | 3 |
| The Black Lives Matter movement | -9 | 41 | 50 | 9 |
| The MAGA movement | -13 | 41 | 54 | 6 |
| The Democratic Party | -20 | 37 | 57 | 6 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||||
| Question: Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of [INSERT NAME] or haven’t you heard enough about them yet? | ||||
About the Marquette Law School Poll
The Marquette Law School Poll is the most extensive statewide polling project in Wisconsin history. This survey was conducted Oct. 15-22, 2025, interviewing 846 Wisconsin registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.5 percentage points. To cover more subjects, a number of items where asked of random half-samples of 423 registered voters with a margin of error of +/-6.4 percentage points. The sample size for Republican primary voters is 406, with a margin of error of 6.4 percentage points. The sample size for Democratic primary voters is 378, with a margin of error of 6.9 percentage points.
Half-sample items include concern about issues, who is responsible for federal government shutdown, data centers, satisfaction with public schools, reduce property taxes or increase school spending, feel safe in daily activities, voter registration topics, concealed carry, abortion policy, and paid family leave.
The survey was conducted with a hybrid sample of 641 respondents selected from the Wisconsin voter registration list, and 205 selected from the SSRS Opinion Panel, a sample drawn from postal addresses across the state and invited to take part in surveys online. The interview was conducted online with 723 respondents and with 123 by telephone with a live interviewer. Full details of the methodology are contained in the methodology statement at the link below.
The partisan makeup of the sample is 36% Republican, 32% Democratic, and 33% independent. When independents who lean to a party are counted as partisans, the sample is 46% Republican, 42% Democratic, and 13% independent. In all polls conducted in 2024, the combined samples were 33% Republican, 31% Democratic, and 36% independent. Counting independents who lean to a party as partisans, the 2024 samples were 45% Republican, 42% Democratic, and 12% independent.
The entire questionnaire, methodology statement, full results and breakdowns by demographic groups are available on the Marquette Law Poll website.