Also:
- Less than two months from Supreme Court election, about two-thirds of voters say they are undecided
- Large field of Democratic candidates for governor has no clear leader, most candidates are unknown to many
- Voters have turned against data centers since October, seeing costs as outweighing benefits
- Disapproval of ICE is 56%; 61% say fatal shooting of Alex Pretti was not justified
- Record number say property tax reduction is more important than increased K-12 school funding
MILWAUKEE — A new Marquette Law School Poll survey of Wisconsin registered voters finds that, with six weeks to go until the April 7 Supreme Court election, 66% say they haven’t decided whom they will vote for. Those who have made a decision support Chris Taylor with 17% to Maria Lazar at 12%. Among likely voters, those who say they are certain to vote in April, 22% support Taylor and 15% favor Lazar, with 62% undecided.
Among Democrats, 73% say they are certain to vote in the April 7 court election, while 67% of Republicans and 62% of independents are certain they will vote.
Only 6% say they have heard a lot about the Court race, while 55% have heard a little and 38% have heard nothing at all. In October, 6% had heard a lot, 46% had heard a little, and 47% had heard nothing. This year’s court race contrasts with the 2025 court election when, in February, 39% had heard a lot about the race, 42% had heard a little, and 19% had heard nothing at all.
The survey was conducted Feb. 11-19, 2026, interviewing 818 Wisconsin registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.3 percentage points. The sample size for Republican primary voters is 371, with a margin of error of +/-6.4 percentage points. The sample size for Democratic primary voters is 394, with a margin of error of +/-6.3 percentage points.
Registered voters say they haven’t learned enough to have a clear idea of what the candidates in the April 7 election for the Supreme Court stand for. Twenty-one percent are clear about Taylor and 15% are clear about Lazar. There has been some increase in knowledge of the candidates since October, but most voters say they are unclear or haven’t heard enough, as shown in Table 1. (All results in the tables are stated as percentages.)
Table 1: Have a clear idea what Supreme Court candidates stand for
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Clear idea or not | ||
| Have a clear idea | Not clear what candidate stands for | Haven’t heard enough | |
| Lazar | |||
| 2/11-19/26 | 15 | 23 | 62 |
| 10/15-22/25 | 10 | 21 | 69 |
| Taylor | |||
| 2/11-19/26 | 21 | 21 | 59 |
| 10/15-22/25 | 11 | 19 | 69 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||
| Question: In the election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, do you have a clear idea of what [Maria Lazar][Chris Taylor] stands for, or are you not clear about what she stands for, or have you not heard enough about her yet? | |||
In February 2025, 51% had a clear idea of what candidate Brad Schimel stood for and 41% were clear about candidate Susan Crawford.
A substantial majority now say they haven’t heard enough about either candidate to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of them. The ability to recognize and give a favorable or unfavorable rating, as well as the ability to recognize the name of each candidate, stands below 30% for both Lazar and Taylor. In each case, the ID recognition and the ability to give an opinion of the candidates is a little higher than in October. Taylor’s net favorable rating is slightly positive, while Lazar’s is slightly negative. In both cases, though, most voters are unable to give a rating, as shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Favorability of Supreme Court candidates
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Favorability | ||||
| Name ID | Net favorable | Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| Lazar | |||||
| 2/11-19/26 | 22 | -4 | 9 | 13 | 77 |
| 10/15-22/25 | 15 | -1 | 7 | 8 | 84 |
| Taylor | |||||
| 2/11-19/26 | 25 | 5 | 15 | 10 | 74 |
| 10/15-22/25 | 16 | -2 | 7 | 9 | 83 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||||
| Question: 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 either a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the candidate. Net favorable is the percentage favorable minus the percentage unfavorable. | |||||
In 2025, Schimel, who had served as attorney general, was more familiar to voters with a name ID of 61%, while Crawford’s name ID was 42%. Both had negative net favorability at that point, -3% for Schimel and -4% for Crawford.
As in October, a large majority of voters, 84% in this poll, want judicial candidates to talk about issues so voters know where they stand, while 15% say candidates should avoid giving the appearance of having prejudged cases that may come before them on the court. Here, there is bipartisan agreement, with 83% of Republicans and 88% of Democrats wanting to hear where the candidates stand.
Gubernatorial candidates
Registered voters have generally not heard much about the governor’s election in the second half of the year, with 8% hearing a lot, 58% hearing a little, and 35% hearing nothing at all. In October, 6% had heard a lot and 37% nothing at all.
Most of the gubernatorial candidates are unfamiliar to most voters. Only Mandela Barnes, the former lieutenant governor who was an unsuccessful 2022 U.S. Senate general-election candidate, has a name ID above 50%. Republican candidate U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany is the second best-known of all candidates, with a name ID of 46%. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, State Rep. Francesca Hong, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley each have name IDs above 25%, while all other candidates are below 25%.
Among all registered voters, all of the candidates for governor have a negative net favorability rating, as shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Favorability of gubernatorial candidates
Among registered voters
| Candidate | |||||
| Name ID | Net Fav | Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| Republican Primary | |||||
| Tom Tiffany | 46 | -4 | 21 | 25 | 52 |
| Andy Manske | 13 | -5 | 4 | 9 | 85 |
| Democratic Primary | |||||
| Mandela Barnes | 61 | -7 | 27 | 34 | 38 |
| Sara Rodriguez | 33 | -5 | 14 | 19 | 65 |
| Francesca Hong | 29 | -1 | 14 | 15 | 69 |
| David Crowley | 26 | -2 | 12 | 14 | 72 |
| Kelda Roys | 22 | -2 | 10 | 12 | 77 |
| Missy Hughes | 19 | -5 | 7 | 12 | 80 |
| Joel Brennan | 17 | -5 | 6 | 11 | 82 |
| Brett Hulsey | 16 | -10 | 3 | 13 | 82 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||||
| 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 either a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the candidate. Net favorable is the percentage favorable minus the percentage unfavorable. | |||||
Barnes’ name ID and favorability/unfavorability ratings are lower than at the end of his 2022 race for the U.S. Senate. In late October 2022, his name ID was 84% and his net favorability was -4%.
Tiffany has gained visibility since June 2023 when the Marquette Law School Poll first asked about him. At that point, his name ID was 25%, with a net favorability of -1%.
There are generally small differences in name recognition by party identification, with some exceptions. Tiffany, Barnes, Rodriguez, and Roys are as well known among Democrats as among Republicans, while less familiar to independents. Hong and Crowley are a little better known to Democrats, while Hughes, Brennan, Hulsey, and Manske are better known to Republicans, though differences are often modest.
Net favorability, however, differs substantially by party, with Republicans net favorable to Republican candidates and net negative to Democratic candidates. Likewise, Democrats are net favorable to their party’s candidates, except for Hulsey, and unfavorable to the Republican candidates. Independents are at least slightly net negative to all candidates except Hughes and Brennan. These results are shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Name ID and favorability, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Candidate | ||||||||
| All Name ID | All Net Fav | Reps: Name ID | Inds: Name ID | Dems: Name ID | Reps: Net Fav | Inds: Net Fav | Dems: Net Fav | |
| Republican Primary | ||||||||
| Tom Tiffany | 46 | -4 | 49 | 33 | 48 | 35 | -7 | -46 |
| Andy Manske | 13 | -5 | 16 | 4 | 13 | 2 | -4 | -13 |
| Democratic Primary | ||||||||
| Mandela Barnes | 61 | -7 | 63 | 43 | 64 | -57 | -7 | 46 |
| Sara Rodriguez | 33 | -5 | 36 | 18 | 35 | -34 | -2 | 27 |
| Francesca Hong | 29 | -1 | 29 | 18 | 34 | -25 | -2 | 26 |
| David Crowley | 26 | -2 | 27 | 17 | 30 | -17 | -1 | 14 |
| Kelda Roys | 22 | -2 | 23 | 13 | 23 | -21 | -3 | 17 |
| Missy Hughes | 19 | -5 | 26 | 12 | 15 | -18 | 0 | 7 |
| Joel Brennan | 17 | -5 | 22 | 10 | 13 | -14 | 4 | 3 |
| Brett Hulsey | 16 | -10 | 21 | 9 | 14 | -15 | -5 | -6 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||||||||
| 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 either a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the candidate. Net favorable is the percentage favorable minus the percentage unfavorable. | ||||||||
There is some regional variation in candidate name recognition, the most substantial being that Tiffany has higher name recognition in the north and western media markets of the state, where 59% have an opinion of him. This region substantially overlaps with his 7th Congressional District.
Barnes has a name ID above 50% in each media market of the state, and above 60% in three of the four regions, while Tiffany is below 50% except in the north and west. Crowley is considerably better known in the Milwaukee market than elsewhere, while the other candidates have only moderate variation across markets. These results are shown in Table 5.
Table 5: Name ID, by media market
Among registered voters
| Candidate | |||||
| All Name ID | Milwaukee market: Name ID | Madison market: Name ID | Green Bay: Name ID | North & Western markets: Name ID | |
| Republican Primary | |||||
| Tom Tiffany | 46 | 42 | 41 | 46 | 59 |
| Andy Manske | 13 | 14 | 11 | 16 | 13 |
| Democratic Primary | |||||
| Mandela Barnes | 61 | 62 | 68 | 63 | 51 |
| Sara Rodriguez | 33 | 36 | 31 | 38 | 25 |
| Francesca Hong | 29 | 29 | 36 | 35 | 21 |
| David Crowley | 26 | 40 | 16 | 25 | 14 |
| Kelda Roys | 22 | 22 | 29 | 25 | 14 |
| Missy Hughes | 19 | 18 | 19 | 21 | 18 |
| Joel Brennan | 17 | 21 | 13 | 17 | 12 |
| Brett Hulsey | 16 | 18 | 15 | 17 | 15 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||||
| 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 either a favorable or unfavorable 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. | |||||
Almost two-thirds of registered voters say they haven’t decided on a candidate in either the Democratic or Republican gubernatorial primaries. For the Republicans, 63% haven’t decided, and for the Democratic primary 65% haven’t picked a candidate.
In the Republican primary, 35% support Tiffany and 2% chose Manske. Manske’s campaign did not file a January finance report with the state ethics commission. Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann withdrew from the primary on Jan. 28.
On the Democratic side, Hong is the choice of 11% and Barnes is supported by 10%. Rodriguez is in third place at 6%, with all others below 5%, as shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Democratic primary vote choice
Among Democratic primary voters
| Candidate | |
| Percent | |
| Haven’t decided | 65 |
| Francesca Hong | 11 |
| Mandela Barnes | 10 |
| Sara Rodriguez | 6 |
| David Crowley | 3 |
| Joel Brennan | 2 |
| Missy Hughes | 2 |
| Kelda Roys | 1 |
| Brett Hulsey | 1 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |
| Question: In the Democratic primary for Governor, who will you vote for, and please bear with me as I read the 8 candidates] … | |
Attorney General candidates
Attorney General Josh Kaul is recognized and rated by 45%, with 25% rating him favorably and 20% rating him unfavorably.
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney has a name ID of 25%, with 15% favorable and 10% unfavorable. Kaul narrowly defeated Toney in the 2022 attorney general election.
Name ID and net favorability by party identification are shown in Table 7. While Kaul is better known, both candidates have a net favorability of +5 points. Kaul is about equally well known to Democrats and Republicans, while Toney is better known to Republicans than Democrats. Independents are less familiar with each candidate than are partisans.
Table 7: Attorney General name ID and favorability, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Candidate | ||||||||
| All RVs: Name ID | Reps: Name ID | Inds: Name ID | Dems: Name ID | All RVs: Net Fav | Reps: Net Fav | Inds: Net Fav | Dems: Net Fav | |
| Josh Kaul | 45 | 47 | 32 | 46 | 5 | -23 | 8 | 36 |
| Eric Toney | 25 | 33 | 10 | 22 | 5 | 27 | 0 | -16 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||||||||
| Question: Here are some people running for attorney general. 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 either a favorable or unfavorable opinion of the candidate. Net favorable is the percentage favorable minus the percentage unfavorable. | ||||||||
Data centers
A majority of voters statewide, 70%, say the costs of large data centers are greater than the benefits they provide, while 29% say the benefits outweigh the costs. This represents a substantial shift against data centers since October, when 55% said the costs outweigh the benefits and 44% said the benefits outweigh the costs.
A large partisan divide has emerged over data centers after only slight partisan differences were present in October. Opinion among Republicans is virtually unchanged, with a small majority saying costs outweigh benefits. But opposition among independents has surged by 21 percentage points, and opposition has increased by 29 percentage points among Democrats. The October question was worded slightly differently by including a mention of Microsoft halting work on a data center, as shown at the bottom of the table. Table 8 compares the partisan breakdowns in February and October.
Table 8: Benefits and costs of data centers, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Benefits vs. costs | |
| The benefits of the data centers outweigh the costs | The costs of the data centers outweigh the benefits | |
| 2/11-19/26 | ||
| Republican | 43 | 55 |
| Independent | 24 | 76 |
| Democrat | 15 | 85 |
| 10/15-22/25 | ||
| Republican | 45 | 53 |
| Independent | 43 | 55 |
| Democrat | 42 | 56 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Feb. Question: There are several large data centers being proposed or under construction in Wisconsin. Which comes closer to your opinion, even if neither is exactly right: the benefits of the data centers outweigh the costs or the costs of the data centers outweigh the benefits | ||
| Oct. Question: There are several large data centers being proposed or under construction in Wisconsin though Microsoft recently announced it would not build one after facing community opposition. Which comes closer to your opinion, even if neither is exactly right: … | ||
Respondents were asked what they saw as the most important benefits and costs of data centers, choosing up to two positions from five benefits and five costs. Among benefits, “create new jobs for technical workers and others” was most often cited as a benefit, followed by local tax revenues. Construction jobs ranked third, and establishing a new industry in the state was fourth. The least-cited benefit was developing artificial intelligence. Table 9 shows the benefits as chosen by respondents.
Table 9: Benefits of data centers
Among registered voters
| Benefit | Benefits chosen |
| Chosen | |
| Create new jobs for technical workers and others | 44 |
| Provide new tax revenue for local communities | 35 |
| Provide construction jobs | 25 |
| Establish a new industry in the state | 21 |
| Help the U.S. lead the world in artificial intelligence (AI) | 18 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |
| Question: A number of new data centers are proposed or under construction around the state. These come with both costs and benefits. Which TWO of the following do you think are the most important benefits of data centers? | |
On the cost side, water use was most frequently mentioned, with more than half choosing this, followed by those saying we should not develop artificial intelligence. The effect of data centers on the cost of electricity was well behind the first two and close to the potential for requiring new electric generating plants. The shift from agricultural to industrial land use was the least-mentioned cost of data centers. The most important costs as chosen by respondents are shown in Table 10.
Table 10: Costs of data centers
Among registered voters
| Cost | Costs chosen |
| Chosen | |
| High water use strains local water resources | 52 |
| Artificial intelligence (AI) is not something we should develop | 45 |
| Drives up the cost of electricity for everyone else | 35 |
| High use of electricity requires building new power plants | 31 |
| They replace agricultural or rural land with large industrial buildings | 20 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |
| Question: A number of new data centers are proposed or under construction around the state. These come with both costs and benefits. Which TWO of the following do you think are the most important costs of data centers? | |
The large majority of voters saw both costs and benefits. However, 22% saw no benefits at all from data centers, while only 4% saw no costs.
The amount that people have read or heard about data centers is not related to the balance of costs and benefits that are perceived. Of those who have heard a lot, 74% say the costs outweigh the benefits, as do 68% of those hearing a little and 73% of those hearing nothing at all. However, 42% of those who have heard a lot see no benefits, while only 17% of those who have heard less see no benefits. Views of data centers are related to opinion of the development of artificial intelligence. Of those who think AI is being developed too quickly, 79% say the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits, compared to 45% of those who say AI is moving at about the right pace or too slowly.
While electricity consumption and potential rate increases have often been mentioned in debate over data centers, only 35% mentioned the cost of electricity as a most important cost, and 31% mentioned increased need for building new power plants—less than the percentages who cited the costs from water use and opposition to AI development.
Concern about the cost of electricity in general is related to the balance of benefits and costs of data centers as seen in Table 11.
Table 11: Benefits and costs of data centers, by concern over cost of electricity
Among registered voters
| Electricity cost concern | Benefits vs. costs | |
| The benefits of the data centers outweigh the costs | The costs of the data centers outweigh the benefits | |
| Very concerned | 24 | 75 |
| Somewhat concerned | 33 | 67 |
| Not too concerned | 32 | 68 |
| Not at all concerned | 46 | 52 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: There are several large data centers being proposed or under construction in Wisconsin. Which comes closer to your opinion, even if neither is exactly right: the benefits of the data centers outweigh the costs or the costs of the data centers outweigh the benefits | ||
| Question: [The cost of electricity] How concerned are you about each of the following? | ||
There is only moderate variation in views of data centers by region of the state, with majority opposition in each of five regions, as shown in Table 12.
Table 12: Benefits and costs of data centers by region
Among registered voters
| Region | Benefits vs. costs | |
| The benefits of the data centers outweigh the costs | The costs of the data centers outweigh the benefits | |
| MKE City | 19 | 80 |
| Rest of MKE | 37 | 62 |
| Madison | 25 | 75 |
| Green Bay/ Appleton | 32 | 67 |
| Rest of state | 22 | 75 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: There are several large data centers being proposed or under construction in Wisconsin. Which comes closer to your opinion, even if neither is exactly right: the benefits of the data centers outweigh the costs or the costs of the data centers outweigh the benefits | ||
ICE, Minneapolis shooting, deportations
Wisconsin registered voters have a negative opinion of the way Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ICE, is enforcing immigration laws. Forty-four percent approve and 56% disapprove. Opinion is sharply divided along partisan lines. Among Republicans, 87% approve of how ICE is doing its job, while 76% of independents and 97% of Democrats disapprove, as shown in Table 13.
Table 13: Approval of ICE, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Approval | |
| Approve | Disapprove | |
| Among all registered voters | 44 | 56 |
| Republican | 87 | 13 |
| Independent | 24 | 76 |
| Democrat | 3 | 97 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: How much do you approve or disapprove of the way U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE, is enforcing immigration laws? | ||
Favorability to ICE is slightly lower than approval, with 41% holding a favorable view, 52% with an unfavorable view, and 6% who say they haven’t heard enough about ICE.
On Jan. 24, Alex Pretti was fatally shot by border patrol agents in Minneapolis. In this poll, 36% say the shooting was justified, while 61% say it was not justified. As with views of ICE, there is a large gulf between the opinions of Republicans and those of independents and Democrats, as shown in Table 14.
Table 14: Was Pretti shooting justified, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Justified or not | |
| Justified | Not justified | |
| Among all registered voters | 36 | 61 |
| Republican | 72 | 24 |
| Independent | 22 | 77 |
| Democrat | 2 | 98 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: As you may know, a man in Minneapolis, Alex Pretti, was recently fatally shot by two U.S. Border Patrol agents. So far as you can tell, do you think this shooting was justified by the circumstances or was it not justified? | ||
Pretti had a concealed carry permit for the gun he was wearing when shot in Minneapolis. Seventy-one percent say he had a constitutional right to possess that gun, while 28% say it should be illegal to possess a gun at a protest. Here, a majority of each partisan group says Pretti had a constitutional right to have the gun with him, though the majority is small among Republicans and large among Democrats, as shown in Table 15.
Table 15: Constitutional right to gun at protest, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Right to possess a gun | |
| Had a constitutional right to have a gun | Should be illegal to possess a gun at a protest | |
| Among all registered voters | 71 | 28 |
| Republican | 56 | 43 |
| Independent | 70 | 30 |
| Democrat | 88 | 12 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: Do you think Alex Pretti had a constitutional right to have a gun with him when protesting against immigration agents or should it be illegal to possess a gun at a protest? | ||
This greater support for Second Amendment rights among Democrats and less support among Republicans contrasts sharply with the October Marquette Law School Poll survey in Wisconsin which found over 90% of Republicans favoring concealed carry while only 59% of Democrats did. This illustrates how malleable even long-held positions can be when political leaders take contrary positions in a given situation. Table 16 shows opinion on concealed carry in the October poll.
Table 16: Concealed carry, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Concealed carry | |
| Favor | Oppose | |
| Among all registered voters | 77 | 22 |
| Republican | 92 | 8 |
| Independent | 76 | 24 |
| Democrat | 59 | 37 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Oct. 15-22, 2025 | ||
| Question: Do you favor or oppose Wisconsin’s current law allowing residents to obtain a license to carry concealed handguns? | ||
The announcement that ICE will decrease its presence in Minneapolis came on Feb. 15, after most of the interviews for this poll were completed. Respondents at the time of their interview did not think that the conflict between immigration enforcement agents and the Minneapolis community had decreased since the shooting of Pretti, with 19% saying conflict had decreased, 44% saying it had increased, and 36% saying it had stayed about the same.
A significant majority (64%) of Wisconsin registered voters favor deportation of “immigrants who are living in the United States illegally,” with 36% opposed. Since April 2024, support for deportations in this question in seven Marquette polls has ranged from 56% to 65%, with little trend either up or down.
When the question adds, “even if they have lived here for a number of years, have jobs, and no criminal record?,” those in favor of deportation falls to 40% and opposition rises to 60%. On this question, support for deportations has ranged from 39% to 50% in six polls since July 2024. Support reached 50% in February 2025. The full trends for these questions and the full question wordings are shown in Table 17.
Table 17: Favor or oppose deportations, by question wording
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Favor or oppose | |
| Favor | Oppose | |
| Deport without qualifications | ||
| 2/11-19/26 | 64 | 36 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 56 | 43 |
| 2/19-26/25 | 61 | 38 |
| 10/16-24/24 | 60 | 39 |
| 8/28-9/5/24 | 65 | 35 |
| 7/24-8/1/24 | 64 | 34 |
| 4/3-10/24 | 56 | 39 |
| Deport with qualifications | ||
| 2/11-19/26 | 40 | 60 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 44 | 56 |
| 2/19-26/25 | 50 | 50 |
| 10/16-24/24 | 39 | 60 |
| 8/28-9/5/24 | 49 | 51 |
| 7/24-8/1/24 | 44 | 55 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: Do you favor or oppose deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home countries? | ||
| Question: Do you favor or oppose deporting immigrants who are living in the United States illegally back to their home countries even if they have lived here for a number of years, have jobs and no criminal record? | ||
Opinion is close to evenly divided on whether most of those being deported have criminal records, with 50% saying they do and 48% saying they do not. As with other questions related to immigration, there is a huge gap in the perceptions of Republicans and Democrats, as shown in Table 18.
Table 18: Deporting criminals, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Deporting criminals or non-criminals | |
| Mostly deporting immigrants with criminal records | Mostly deporting immigrants who have no criminal records | |
| Among all registered voters | 50 | 48 |
| Republican | 83 | 14 |
| Independent | 45 | 55 |
| Democrat | 10 | 89 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: Do you think the U.S. is (mostly deporting immigrants with criminal records) or (mostly deporting immigrants who have no criminal records)? | ||
Issue concerns
Seventy percent of respondents say they are very concerned about inflation and the cost of living, which makes it the issue drawing the highest level of concern among nine issues included in the poll. Inflation and the cost of living is followed by health insurance, with 61% who are very concerned. Five other issues are virtually tied at 50% or 49%: taxes, abortion policy, jobs and the economy, illegal immigration and border security, and property taxes. Gun violence and the cost of electricity show slightly lower concern at 46%. The full results are shown in Table 19.
Table 19: Issue concerns
Among registered voters
| Issue | Concern | |||
| Very concerned | Somewhat concerned | Not too concerned | Not at all concerned | |
| Inflation and the cost of living | 70 | 23 | 5 | 2 |
| Health insurance | 61 | 25 | 11 | 3 |
| Taxes | 50 | 33 | 16 | 2 |
| Abortion policy | 50 | 27 | 17 | 5 |
| Jobs and the economy | 49 | 36 | 11 | 3 |
| Illegal immigration & border security | 49 | 19 | 17 | 15 |
| Property taxes | 49 | 29 | 17 | 5 |
| Gun violence | 46 | 21 | 22 | 11 |
| The cost of electricity | 46 | 34 | 16 | 3 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||||
| Question: How concerned are you about each of the following? | ||||
There are substantial partisan differences in issue concerns. Republicans express less concern about six of the nine issues than do Democrats, while they are more concerned about three issues. On the issue of greatest concern among all registered votes, inflation, 57% of Republicans are very concerned, compared to 64% of independents and 86% of Democrats. Republicans are also less concerned about health insurance than are independents or Democrats. However, Republicans are more concerned about illegal immigration, property taxes, and taxes in general than are independents or Democrats. Abortion, jobs and the economy, and gun violence also show less GOP concern. Republicans are only modestly less concerned about the cost of electricity than Democrats or independents. Table 20 shows the percentage very concerned about each issue by party identification.
Table 20: 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 | 70 | -29 | 57 | 64 | 86 |
| Health insurance | 61 | -24 | 49 | 66 | 73 |
| Taxes | 50 | 15 | 57 | 51 | 42 |
| Abortion policy | 50 | -26 | 39 | 40 | 65 |
| Jobs and the economy | 49 | -30 | 36 | 40 | 66 |
| Illegal immigration & border security | 49 | 47 | 76 | 22 | 28 |
| Property taxes | 49 | 23 | 62 | 33 | 39 |
| Gun violence | 46 | -43 | 26 | 44 | 69 |
| The cost of electricity | 46 | -9 | 41 | 48 | 51 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||||
| Question: How concerned are you about each of the following? | |||||
Most important issue
In addition to level of concern about issues, respondents were asked which one issue is most important to them. Inflation tops this list at 34%. The second most important issue is health insurance, 14%, closely followed by illegal immigration and border security, picked by 13%. The full list is shown in Table 21. (The list of most important issues is somewhat different from the list of issue concerns above for comparability with previous polls.)
Table 21: Most important issue
Among registered voters
| Issue | |
| Percent most important | |
| Inflation and the cost of living | 34 |
| Health insurance | 14 |
| Illegal immigration and border security | 13 |
| Taxes | 9 |
| Jobs and the economy | 9 |
| Affordability of housing | 7 |
| Gun violence | 5 |
| Abortion policy | 5 |
| Public schools | 4 |
| Crime in your community | 1 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |
| Question: Which one of the following issues matters MOST to you right now? | |
As with concern about issues in general, there are substantial partisan differences on which issue is most important. Republicans, independents, and Democrats each rate inflation as their most important issue, though fewer Republicans choose this than do Democrats. Health insurance is second most important for independents and Democrats, while immigration and border security is second among Republicans. Taxes are more important to Republicans but less so for independents and Democrats. There is little difference across party in the importance of jobs and the economy. All issues by party are shown in Table 22.
Table 22: 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 | 34 | -16 | 27 | 31 | 43 |
| Health insurance | 14 | -6 | 10 | 16 | 17 |
| Illegal immigration & border security | 13 | 18 | 22 | 10 | 4 |
| Taxes | 9 | 12 | 15 | 6 | 2 |
| Jobs and the economy | 9 | 1 | 9 | 5 | 9 |
| Affordability of housing | 7 | -2 | 5 | 13 | 7 |
| Gun violence | 5 | -6 | 2 | 8 | 8 |
| Abortion policy | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 |
| Public schools | 4 | -5 | 1 | 5 | 6 |
| Crime in your community | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||||
| Question: Which one of the following issues matters MOST to you right now? | |||||
Forty-three percent say prices of groceries have gone up a lot over the past six months, and 25% say prices have gone up a little, while 21% say they have stayed about the same and 10% say they have gone down a little. Only 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. Independents are more likely than Democrats to say prices have remained about the same, while Democrats are much more likely to see grocery price increases, as shown in Table 23.
Table 23: Change in grocery prices, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Change in prices | ||
| Gone down | Stayed about the same | Gone up | |
| Among all registered voters | 11 | 21 | 68 |
| Republican | 22 | 36 | 43 |
| Independent | 8 | 16 | 76 |
| Democrat | 1 | 6 | 93 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||
| Question: How has the price you pay for groceries changed over the last six months? | |||
Those who do grocery shopping for their household are more likely to say prices have increased, 70%, while 54% of those who don’t shop also think prices are up. This is especially true of men, where 62% who shop see price increases and only 46% of those who don’t shop think prices are up. There is a smaller gap of 6 points between women who shop and those who don’t.
In contrast to grocery prices, a sizable 50% say gasoline prices have gone down over the past six months, with 31% saying gas prices have held steady and only 18% saying they have gone up.
Republicans are most likely to say gas prices have declined, followed by independents. Democrats are least likely to say gas prices have gone down, though almost half say they have remained stable. Table 24 shows these responses.
Table 24: Change in gasoline prices, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Change in prices | ||
| Gone down | Stayed about the same | Gone up | |
| Among all registered voters | 50 | 31 | 18 |
| Republican | 72 | 18 | 8 |
| Independent | 39 | 33 | 25 |
| Democrat | 28 | 45 | 25 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||
| Question: How has the price you pay for gasoline changed over the last six months? | |||
A majority of respondents, 53%, think President Donald Trump’s policies will increase inflation, while 35% say his policies will decrease inflation and 11% believe they will have no effect on inflation. Here, too, there are substantial partisan differences. A majority of Republicans, 65%, say Trump’s policies will decrease inflation, while 65% of independents and 94% of Democrats think his policies will increase inflation, as seen in Table 25
Table 25: 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 | 35 | 53 | 11 |
| Republican | 65 | 17 | 17 |
| Independent | 24 | 65 | 11 |
| Democrat | 2 | 94 | 3 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||
| Question: Do you think Trump’s policy proposals will decrease inflation, increase inflation, or have no effect on inflation? | |||
Among registered voters, 32% say they are better off than a year ago, while 30% are worse off and 38% say they are about the same. That marks some improvement from February 2025, when 21% said they were better off, 49% were about the same, and 31% were worse off.
Family financial situation is slightly improved from February a year ago, when 46% said they were living comfortably, compared to 50% in the current survey who say they are comfortable. The percent just getting by declined from 41% a year ago to 36% now, but those struggling rose from 12% to 14%.
Asked about the direction of the state, 46% say the state is headed in the right direction, while 53% say it is off on the wrong track. Those saying “right direction” fell to a low of 31% in October 2022 but has improved since. It is still well below Marquette’s all-time high of 61% registered in March 2020, paradoxically at the time of the first shutdowns of the COVID epidemic. Right direction had been consistently in the 50s throughout 2019, levels it has not attained since 2021.
State issues
A majority of voters, 64%, oppose legalizing online sports betting in Wisconsin, while 34% are in favor. Opposition is bipartisan, with 61% of Republicans and 66% of Democrats opposed, as are 74% of independents. Seventy-one percent of those who attend religious services at least weekly are opposed while 62% of those who attend less often are opposed.
The state has been considering who should pay for cleanup of contamination from the long lasting PFAS chemicals in a number of locations around the state. Respondents were asked who should be responsible and could choose as many options as they wished. Three-quarters say businesses that used PFAS and manufacturers should pay for the cleanup, while property owners whose land or water was contaminated by others should not be required to pay. There is broad partisan agreement on all these choices. The results are shown in Table 26.
Table 26: Responsible for PFAS cleanup
Among registered voters
| Who might pay? | |
| Should pay | |
| Those who used PFAS in their business, leading to contamination | 77 |
| The manufacturers of PFAS | 75 |
| The state should pay for cleaning up PFAS regardless of the source | 23 |
| Those who unknowingly received and discharged PFAS, spreading the chemical | 23 |
| Those whose land or water is contaminated even if by someone else | 6 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |
| Question: The legislature is debating who should be responsible for paying to clean up past discharges of the long-lasting chemicals known as PFAS that have contaminated a number of water supplies around the state. Which of the following do you think should pay for cleanup? | |
Asked if tariffs are helping or hurting Wisconsin farmers, 17% say they are helping, 55% say they are hurting, and 26% believe they aren’t making much difference. Republicans are relatively evenly divided over whether tariffs are helping Wisconsin farmers, with 33%
saying they are helping farmers, 23% saying they are hurting, and 41% saying they have not made much difference. Majorities of independents and Democrats say the tariffs are hurting farmers, as shown in Table 27.
Table 27: 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 | 17 | 55 | 26 |
| Republican | 33 | 23 | 41 |
| Independent | 5 | 61 | 34 |
| Democrat | 0 | 95 | 5 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |||
| Question: Do you think tariffs are helping or hurting Wisconsin farmers, or not making much of a difference either way? | |||
Sixty-four percent of voters say they are very or somewhat satisfied with the job public schools in their community are doing, with 36% saying they are either 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 28.
Table 28: Satisfaction with job schools are doing
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Satisfaction | |
| Very satisfied/satisfied | Very dissatisfied/dissatisfied | |
| 2/11-19/26 | 64 | 36 |
| 10/15-22/25 | 62 | 37 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 63 | 36 |
| 2/19-26/25 | 58 | 41 |
| 10/16-24/24 | 65 | 35 |
| 9/18-26/24 | 64 | 36 |
| 6/12-20/24 | 46 | 41 |
| 10/26-11/2/23 | 63 | 35 |
| 6/8-13/23 | 67 | 31 |
| 9/6-11/22 | 62 | 31 |
| 4/19-24/22 | 62 | 32 |
| 10/26-31/21 | 60 | 30 |
| 8/3-8/21 | 69 | 22 |
| 1/8-12/20 | 59 | 33 |
| 9/12-16/18 | 64 | 25 |
| 3/13-16/17 | 74 | 19 |
| 4/7-10/15 | 75 | 21 |
| 5/6-9/13 | 71 | 25 |
| 3/11-13/13 | 81 | 14 |
| 5/23-26/12 | 71 | 24 |
| 5/9-12/12 | 68 | 25 |
| 4/26-29/12 | 66 | 27 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: How satisfied are you with the job the public schools are doing in your community? | ||
Voters have grown more concerned with reducing property taxes than with increasing funding for K-12 schools in recent years. In this poll, 60% say property taxes are more important while 40% say funding for K-12 schools is more important. The 60% total for those more concerned with property taxes is the highest in 26 Marquette polls that have asked that question since 2013.
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 holding down property taxes as more important. The full trend is shown in Table 29.
Table 29: More important: property taxes or K-12 funding
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Which more important | |
| Reducing property taxes | Increasing spending on public schools | |
| 2/11-19/26 | 60 | 40 |
| 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: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: Which is more important to you: reduce property taxes or increase spending on public schools? | ||
In this poll, 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. This is unchanged from October 2025. Opposition to referendums has increased since 2016, as shown in Table 30.
Table 30: Vote for or against school tax referendum
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Referendum vote | |
| Vote for | Vote against | |
| 2/11-19/26 | 43 | 57 |
| 10/15-22/25 | 43 | 57 |
| 6/13-19/25 | 52 | 46 |
| 2/19-23/20 | 57 | 34 |
| 1/21-24/16 | 55 | 35 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| 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? | ||
Voters would like a substantial share of the current state budget surplus to be devoted to property tax relief. Sixty-three percent want half or more of the surplus given back to taxpayers for property tax reductions, while 21% say about a quarter of the surplus should go to property tax relief and 16% say none of it should be used this way. The full set of responses is shown in Table 31.
Table 31: How much of surplus for property tax cut
Among registered voters
| How much? | |
| Percent | |
| All of it used for a property tax cut | 21 |
| About three-quarters used for a property tax cut | 8 |
| About half used for a property tax cut | 34 |
| About one-quarter used for a property tax cut | 21 |
| None of it used for a property tax cut | 16 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | |
| Question: Wisconsin currently has about a $2 billion dollar budget surplus. How much of that, if any, would you like to see given back to taxpayers through a property tax cut? | |
Registered voters are evenly divided over Gov. Tony Evers’ use of his partial veto in 2024 to require increases in school spending limits for the next 400 years. Forty-nine percent say this was necessary to support public schools, while 50% say his veto will require tax increases each year. The parties are sharply different in their views of this, while independents are evenly divided, as shown in Table 32.
Table 32: 400-year veto, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Opinion of veto | |
| His veto was necessary to support public schools in the long run | His veto will mean tax increases each year for centuries | |
| Among all registered voters | 49 | 50 |
| Republican | 15 | 82 |
| Independent | 50 | 47 |
| Democrat | 79 | 21 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: In 2024, Governor Tony Evers used his partial veto power to change legislation to require increases in school spending limits for the next 400 years. (Supporters say this was necessary to support public schools.) (Opponents say it will require tax increases each year to provide money for spending increases.) What is your opinion of this? | ||
Voters are equally divided on whether the legislature has failed to provide enough funding for public schools, or whether the schools must live within their budget limits. Fifty-one percent say the legislature has not provided needed funding, while 49% say schools must live within their budgets. As with the Evers veto, these opinions follow party lines, though in this case a majority of independents say the legislature has failed to provide adequate funding, as shown in Table 33.
Table 33: Legislative funding of schools, by party identification
Among registered voters
| Party ID | Funding | |
| The legislature has failed to provide enough funding | Schools must live within their budget limits | |
| Among all registered voters | 51 | 49 |
| Republican | 18 | 81 |
| Independent | 61 | 39 |
| Democrat | 79 | 21 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||
| Question: Some people say (the legislature has failed to provide enough state funding for public schools, and this has required school districts to increase property taxes for the schools.) Others say (public schools must live within their budget limits and school boards should not increase property taxes for the schools.) What is your opinion on this? | ||
Approval of governor, legislature, and Wisconsin Supreme Court
Approval of the job Evers is doing as governor is at 49%, compared to 50% in October. Disapproval remained the same at 45%. The full trend for Evers approval is shown in Table 34.
Table 34: Evers job approval
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Approval | |||
| Net | Approve | Disapprove | Don’t know | |
| 2/11-19/26 | 4 | 49 | 45 | 6 |
| 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: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||||
| 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 ticked up to 41%, from 39% in October, with disapproval falling to 44% from 50%. The full trend for approval of the legislature is in Table 35.
Table 35: Legislature job approval
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Approval | |||
| Net | Approve | Disapprove | Don’t know | |
| 2/11-19/26 | -3 | 41 | 44 | 15 |
| 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: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||||
| 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. In this survey, approval is at 49% and disapproval at 34%—an improvement from 45% approval and 39% disapproval in October. The full trend is shown in Table 36.
Table 36: Wisconsin Supreme Court job approval
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Approval | |||
| Net | Approve | Disapprove | Don’t know | |
| 2/11-19/26 | 15 | 49 | 34 | 16 |
| 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: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||||
| Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way the Wisconsin state Supreme Court is handling its job? | ||||
Donald Trump job approval
Approval of Trump declined in February, to 44% from 46% in October, while disapproval rose one point to 54%, giving him a net approval of -10 points. Trump’s net approval stood at -3 percent a year ago in February 2025. His all-time low net approval in either first or second term is -12 in 2018. He was at -10 three times in his first term. The full trend is shown in Table 37.
Table 37: Donald Trump job approval
Among registered voters
| Poll dates | Approval | |||
| Net | Approve | Disapprove | Don’t know | |
| 2/11-19/26 | -10 | 44 | 54 | 2 |
| 10/15-22/25 | -7 | 46 | 53 | 1 |
| 6/13-19/25 | -5 | 47 | 52 | 1 |
| 2/19-26/25 | -3 | 48 | 51 | 1 |
| 10/21-25/20 | -5 | 47 | 52 | 1 |
| 9/30-10/4/20 | -8 | 44 | 52 | 2 |
| 8/30-9/3/20 | -10 | 44 | 54 | 2 |
| 8/4-9/20 | -10 | 44 | 54 | 2 |
| 6/14-18/20 | -6 | 45 | 51 | 3 |
| 5/3-7/20 | -2 | 47 | 49 | 3 |
| 3/24-29/20 | -1 | 48 | 49 | 3 |
| 2/19-23/20 | 0 | 48 | 48 | 3 |
| 1/8-12/20 | -1 | 48 | 49 | 2 |
| 12/3-8/19 | -3 | 47 | 50 | 2 |
| 11/13-17/19 | -4 | 47 | 51 | 1 |
| 10/13-17/19 | -5 | 46 | 51 | 2 |
| 8/25-29/19 | -8 | 45 | 53 | 1 |
| 4/3-7/19 | -6 | 46 | 52 | 1 |
| 1/16-20/19 | -8 | 44 | 52 | 4 |
| 10/24-28/18 | -3 | 47 | 50 | 2 |
| 10/3-7/18 | -5 | 46 | 51 | 3 |
| 9/12-16/18 | -12 | 42 | 54 | 3 |
| 8/15-19/18 | -6 | 45 | 51 | 3 |
| 7/11-15/18 | -8 | 42 | 50 | 7 |
| 6/13-17/18 | -6 | 44 | 50 | 5 |
| 2/25-3/1/18 | -7 | 43 | 50 | 6 |
| 6/22-25/17 | -10 | 41 | 51 | 7 |
| 3/13-16/17 | -6 | 41 | 47 | 11 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||||
| Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? | ||||
Favorability of political figures
Evers is seen favorably by 46% and unfavorably by 44%, Sen. Tammy Baldwin is close behind with 45% favorable and 45% unfavorable. Sen. Ron Johnson’s is seen favorably by 38% and unfavorably by 44%.
The full set of favorability ratings is shown in Table 38.
Table 38: Favorability to state and national political figures
Among registered voters
| Political figure | Favorability | |||
| Net Fav | Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| Tony Evers | 2 | 46 | 44 | 9 |
| Tammy Baldwin | 0 | 45 | 45 | 11 |
| Ron Johnson | -6 | 38 | 44 | 18 |
| JD Vance | -6 | 42 | 48 | 10 |
| Donald Trump | -11 | 43 | 54 | 2 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||||
| 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
Both political parties have negative net-favorability ratings, although the Democratic party is seen more negatively than the Republican party. The Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement’s rating is quite similar to that of the Republican party, as shown in Table 39.
Table 39: Favorability to political organizations
Among registered voters
| Political organization | Favorability | |||
| Net Fav | Favorable | Unfavorable | Haven’t heard enough | |
| The Republican Party | -12 | 41 | 53 | 5 |
| The MAGA movement | -14 | 40 | 54 | 6 |
| The Democratic Party | -23 | 35 | 58 | 7 |
| Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Feb. 11-19, 2026 | ||||
| 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 Feb. 11-19, 2026, interviewing 818 Wisconsin registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.3 percentage points. To cover more subjects, a number of items were asked of random half-samples of 408 and 410 registered voters with a margin of error of +/-6.1 percentage points. The sample size for Republican primary voters is 371, with a margin of error of 6.4 percentage points. The sample size for Democratic primary voters is 394, with a margin of error of 6.3 percentage points.
Half-sample items:
- Concern about issues (except cost of electricity which is full sample)
- Satisfaction with public schools, reduce property taxes or increase school spending, vote for or against school referendum, budget surplus for tax reduction, 400-year partial veto, legislative funding for schools, deporting immigrants in U.S. illegally, deporting mostly criminals or non-criminals, tariffs helping farmers, Trump policy decreasing inflation, legalize online betting.
The survey was conducted with a hybrid sample of 613 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 737 respondents and 81 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 2025 and 2026, the combined samples were 36% Republican, 32% Democratic, and 32% independent. Counting independents who lean to a party as partisans, there were 46% Republican, 42% Democratic, and 13% independent.
The entire questionnaire, methodology statement, full results and breakdowns by demographic groups are available on the Marquette Law School Poll website.