- New Marquette Law School Poll finds majorities of registered voters still undecided in Wisconsin Supreme Court race, with Taylor leading Lazar among likely votersby Charles Franklin
Also:
- Wisconsinites divided on election accuracy, but trust state and local officials over federal officials to run fair elections
Please note: Complete Poll results and methodology information can be found online at law.marquette.edu/poll
MILWAUKEE – A new Marquette Law School Poll of Wisconsin finds registered voters have begun to tune into the state Supreme Court election on April 7, but many remain undecided. Chris Taylor is the choice of 23% and Maria Lazar is supported by 17%, while 53% remain undecided and 7% say they won’t vote. In February, 66% were undecided with 17% for Taylor and 12% for Lazar.
Among likely voters, those who say they are certain to vote in April, 30% support Taylor and 22% favor Lazar, with 46% undecided. In February among likely voters, 22% supported Taylor and 15% chose Lazar, with 62% undecided.
More Republicans than Democrats remain undecided among registered voters. Republicans heavily prefer Lazar and Democrats heavily prefer Taylor. Independents lean to Taylor, though a sizable group of independents say they won’t vote in the Supreme Court election, as shown in Table 1. (All results in the tables are stated as percentages.)
Table 1: Supreme Court vote, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID Vote choice Maria Lazar Chris Taylor Haven’t decided Will not vote in that election Among all registered voters 17 23 53 7 Republican 30 6 59 6 Independent 11 16 49 23 Democrat 5 43 48 3 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: If the April 7 election for Wisconsin Supreme Court were being held today and the candidates were (Maria Lazar) and (Chris Taylor), for whom would you vote, or haven’t you decided yet, or will you not vote in that election? The survey was conducted March 11-18, 2026, interviewing 850 Wisconsin registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.4 percentage points. For likely voters, the sample size is 597 with a margin of error of +/-5.3 percentage points.
Among likely voters, there are fewer undecided in each partisan category, though half of independents remain undecided. Republicans and Democrats are more strongly aligned with each candidate among likely voters, as shown in Table 2, than among all registered voters (as shown above in Table 1).
Table 2: Supreme Court vote, by party identification
Among likely voters
Party ID Vote choice Maria Lazar Chris Taylor Haven’t decided Will not vote in that election Among all likely voters 22 30 46 1 Republican 44 7 48 2 Independent 17 26 50 6 Democrat 5 50 43 0 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: If the April 7 election for Wisconsin Supreme Court were being held today and the candidates were (Maria Lazar) and (Chris Taylor), for whom would you vote, or haven’t you decided yet, or will you not vote in that election? Registered voters have become somewhat more familiar with both candidates since October, though more than 60% continue to say they haven’t heard enough to have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of each candidate. These results are shown in Table 3.
Table 3: Favorability of Supreme Court candidates
Among registered voters
Poll dates Favorability Name ID Net favorable Favorable Unfavorable Haven’t heard enough Lazar 3/11-18/26 31 -5 13 18 68 2/11-19/26 22 -4 9 13 77 10/15-22/25 15 -1 7 8 84 Taylor 3/11-18/26 35 5 20 15 64 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: Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of [INSERT NAME] or haven’t you heard enough about them yet?) Similarly, the number of those saying they have a clear idea of what each candidate stands for has increased since October, but a large percentage remain either unclear or haven’t heard enough, as shown in Table 4.
Table 4: Clear idea what Supreme Court candidates stand for
Among registered voters
Poll dates Clear idea Have a clear idea Not clear what she stands for Haven’t heard enough Lazar 3/11-18/26 25 24 51 2/11-19/26 15 23 62 10/15-22/25 10 21 69 Taylor 3/11-18/26 28 20 52 2/11-19/26 21 21 59 10/15-22/25 11 19 69 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: In the election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, do you have a clear idea of what Maria Lazar stands for, or are you not clear about what she stands for, or have you not heard enough about her yet? Question: In the election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, do you have a clear idea of what Chris Taylor stands for, or are you not clear about what she stands for, or have you not heard enough about her yet? There has been an increase in the percentage who say they have heard or read a lot about the Supreme Court race since February, though it still falls far short of attention to the state Supreme Court race in 2025. In March, 12% have heard a lot, up from 6% in February. In February 2025, however, 39% had heard a lot about that race.
More voters have heard “just a little” about this year’s Court race, 57%, slightly changed from 55% in February. Those who have heard nothing at all has declined from 38% in February to 31% in March.
A substantial majority (75%) of registered voters incorrectly believe that this election can tip the ideological balance on the Court. In the 2025 court election, the ideological balance could have tipped depending on the outcome, and 83% correctly believed that. This year, to use terms commonly found in the press and popular discussion, liberals hold a 4-3 majority, with a retiring conservative justice, so the majority will either remain unchanged or increase to five liberals. In 2025, a retiring liberal justice on the 4-3 court meant that the ideological balance on the Court could have flipped had the conservative candidate won.
There is a considerable Democratic advantage in engagement with the Court election across several measures. Among Democrats, 77% say they are certain to vote, while 59% of Republicans and 53% of independents are certain they will vote. In February, Democrats had a smaller turnout advantage, with 73% certain to vote, as were 67% of Republicans and 62% of independents. With two weeks to go before the election, citizens may yet become mobilized to vote, but, in this survey’s measure, Democrats have the advantage.
Similarly, Democrats express greater enthusiasm for voting, with 51% saying they are very enthusiastic about voting in the April election, compared to 32% of Republicans and 19% of independents who say that.
A final measure of engagement is those saying the outcome of the Supreme Court election is very important to them. Among Democrats, 65% say it is very important, while 46% of Republicans and 24% of independents say the same.
This Democratic advantage in engagement with the court election is larger than a small Democratic edge in attention to politics in general. Among Democrats, 65% say they follow what’s going on in politics most of the time, only a little more than for Republicans at 60%. Independents are much less likely to follow politics than are partisans, with just 38% of independents saying they follow politics most of the time.
The attacks on Iran and use of the military
A majority, 61%, say they disapprove of the U.S. military attacks on Iran, ordered by President Donald Trump, that began on Feb. 28, while 39% approve of the action. Table 5 shows opinion by party identification, with three-quarters of Republicans approving of the attacks, almost all Democrats disapproving, and more than 70% of independents disapproving as well.
Table 5: Approval of attacks on Iran, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID Approval Approve Disapprove Among all registered voters 39 61 Republican 75 24 Independent 27 73 Democrat 3 97 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Combined responses to: ‘Do you approve or disapprove of the U.S. military attacks on Iran?’ and ‘Do you approve or disapprove of President Trump ordering the U.S. military attacks on Iran?’ Approval of the attacks on Iran was asked as a split-sample wording test, with half being asked if they approve of “U.S. military attacks on Iran” and half asked about “President Trump ordering U.S. military attacks on Iran.” The differences in results for the two wordings are small and not statistically significant, as shown in Table 6. For this reason, the answers are combined in the analysis above.
Table 6: Approval of attacks on Iran, by Trump mentioned or not
Among registered voters
Question wording Approval of attacks on Iran Approve Disapprove No Trump mention 40 59 Trump mention 37 62 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Do you approve or disapprove of the U.S. military attacks on Iran? Question: Do you approve or disapprove of President Trump ordering the U.S. military attacks on Iran? Some conservatives, such as Tucker Carlson, have criticized the attacks on Iran, raising questions of a potential split between Trump supporters. To examine how Republicans may differ on the Iran war, we distinguish Republicans who say they are favorable to the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, making up 78% of all Republicans, from those Republicans who are not favorable to MAGA, comprising 22% of all Republicans. MAGA Republicans are far more approving of the attacks on Iran, while a substantial majority of non-MAGA Republicans disapprove of the attacks, as shown in Table 7. Dissent within the GOP comes from those not part of the MAGA base, not from those who regard themselves as part of the MAGA movement.
Table 7: Approval of attacks on Iran, by MAGA or non-MAGA Republicans
Among Republican registered voters
MAGA or non-MAGA Approval of attacks on Iran Approve Disapprove Rep, MAGA 88 11 Rep, Non-MAGA 28 72 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Combined responses to: ‘Do you approve or disapprove of the U.S. military attacks on Iran?’ and ‘Do you approve or disapprove of President Trump ordering the U.S. military attacks on Iran?’ Question: [The Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement] Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion of <> or haven’t you heard enough about them yet? Prior to the attacks on Iran, in his second term, Trump has ordered the military to seize Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro and ordered air strikes on Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and Nigeria, in addition to discussing possible use of the military to take possession of Greenland. To measure public reaction to these uses of the military, aside from the Iran situation, respondents were asked whether they support or oppose Trump using the U.S. military to force changes in other countries. This question was asked earlier in the survey than the questions on Iran.
Thirty-five percent support using the military to force change in other countries, while 64% are opposed. Table 8 shows these responses by party identification, with Republicans divided by those who are favorable to MAGA and those not favorable to MAGA. The MAGA Republicans strongly support the use of force, while Republicans who are not favorable to MAGA are very similar to independents, with large majorities opposed to the use of force. Virtually all Democrats oppose using the military to force change in other countries.
Table 8: Use of military to force change, by party and MAGA
Among registered voters
Party ID with MAGA Approval of use of military force Support Oppose Republican, MAGA 83 16 Republican, Non-MAGA 20 80 Independent 22 78 Democrat 3 97 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: In general, do you support or oppose President Trump using the U.S. military to force changes in other countries? Trump’s overall job approval in March is 42% with 56% disapproving, a 2-point decline in approval and 2-point increase in disapproval from February. This brings his net approval (approve minus disapprove) to -14 percentage points. The previous lowest net approval of Trump in his first or second term was -12 points in September 2018. Table 9 shows Trump’s approval in his second term.
Table 9: Trump job approval
Among registered voters
Poll dates Job approval Net Approve Disapprove 3/11-18/26 -14 42 56 2/11-19/26 -10 44 54 10/15-22/25 -7 46 53 6/13-19/25 -5 47 52 2/19-26/25 -3 48 51 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? Trump retains his strong approval among Republicans, but his approval among independents has fallen to 26% and almost all Democrats disapprove, as shown in Table 10.
Table 10: Trump approval, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID Job approval Net Approve Disapprove Among all registered voters -14 42 56 Republican 69 84 15 Independent -40 26 66 Democrat -97 1 98 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president? Tariffs
On Feb. 20, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Trump did not have the authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). In this survey, 59% favor this decision, while 40% oppose it. A majority of Republicans oppose the ruling, while majorities of independents and Democrats are in favor, as shown in Table 11.
Table 11: Court decision on tariffs, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID Favor or oppose Court ruling Favor Oppose Among all registered voters 59 40 Republican 27 73 Independent 71 28 Democrat 92 7 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: As you may have heard, on February 20, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Trump did not have the authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). Do you favor or oppose this decision? Trump has said he will reimpose tariffs under the authority of other laws. This is opposed by 60% and favored by 40%.
More Wisconsinites believe tariffs harm the U.S. economy rather than help it, an opinion that has been relatively stable during Trump’s second term, as shown in Table 12.
Table 12: Do tariffs help or hurt the economy
Among registered voters
Poll dates Tariffs help or hurt Helps US economy Hurts US economy Doesn’t make much difference 3/11-18/26 30 53 17 10/15-22/25 33 55 11 6/13-19/25 31 57 10 2/19-26/25 32 51 16 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 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? A larger share of respondents say tariffs hurt Wisconsin farmers, with relatively few who believe tariffs help farmers. About a quarter say tariffs don’t make much of a difference. This trend is shown in Table 13.
Table 13: Do tariffs help or hurt Wisconsin farmers
Among registered voters
Poll dates Tariffs help or hurt farmers Helping Wisconsin farmers Hurting Wisconsin farmers Not making much of a difference 3/11-18/26 16 60 24 2/11-19/26 17 55 26 10/15-22/25 16 62 20 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Do you think tariffs are helping or hurting Wisconsin farmers, or not making much of a difference either way? Voters view Trump’s policies as more likely to increase inflation, 59%, than to decrease it, 28%, while 12% think his policies will have no effect on inflation. In February, 53% said Trump’s policies will increase inflation, and 35% thought his policies would decrease inflation. Table 14 shows opinion on inflation during Trump’s second term.
Table 14: Will Trump’s policies decrease or increase inflation
Among registered voters
Poll dates Policy effect on inflation Decrease inflation Increase inflation Have no effect on inflation 3/11-18/26 28 59 12 2/11-19/26 35 53 11 10/15-22/25 30 57 12 6/13-19/25 31 55 12 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Do you think Trump’s policy proposals will decrease inflation, increase inflation, or have no effect on inflation? Approval of U.S. and Wisconsin Supreme Courts
In this poll, Wisconsin voters have a negative view overall of the U.S. Supreme Court, with 37% approving of the Court and 55% disapproving. A majority of Republicans approve of the Court, while a majority of independents disapprove, as do a larger majority of Democrats, as shown in Table 15.
Table 15: U.S. Supreme Court approval, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID Approval of U.S. Supreme Court Approve Disapprove Don’t know Among all registered voters 37 55 8 Republican 61 30 8 Independent 26 57 18 Democrat 13 81 5 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way the United States Supreme Court is handling its job? The Wisconsin Supreme Court is viewed more favorably than the U.S. Supreme Court, with 46% approving, 37% disapproving, and 17% saying they don’t know. More people lack an opinion of the state Court than of the federal Court. And there is a smaller though still substantial partisan divide over the state court than over the federal court. Approval of the state court by party identification is shown in Table 16.
Table 16: Wisconsin Supreme Court approval, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID Approval of Wisconsin Supreme Court Approve Disapprove Don’t know Among all registered voters 46 37 17 Republican 30 55 15 Independent 43 32 25 Democrat 64 19 17 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way the Wisconsin state Supreme Court is handling its job? Illegal immigration and ICE
Voters are asked two questions about deporting immigrants who are in the country illegally. One asks without qualification if the respondent favors deporting those in the country illegally. The other question adds the qualification “even if they have lived here for a number of years, have jobs, and no criminal record?” There has been a small decline in support for deportations without qualification from February to March, from 64% to 57%, while there has been only a one-percentage-point change in support for deportations with the qualifications added to the question, from 40% to 39%. The trends with both these 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 3/11-18/26 57 43 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 3/11-18/26 39 60 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: Mar. 11-18, 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? Favorable views of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have only slightly changed from 41% in February to 40% in March, while unfavorable views edged up from 52% in February to 55% in March.
Election integrity
Seventy-seven percent of Wisconsin registered voters are very or somewhat confident that votes in this November’s election will be accurately cast and counted, with 23% who are not too or not at all confident. This is little-changed from prior to the 2022 midterm election, when 77% were confident and 20% were not confident in the election.
Substantial majorities of Republicans, independents, and Democrats are confident in the accuracy of this fall’s election, though Republicans are least confident. This is shown in Table 18.
Table 18: Confidence in November election, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID Confidence in election accuracy Very/somewhat confident Not too/not at all confident Among all registered voters 77 23 Republican 66 34 Independent 73 27 Democrat 91 9 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: How confident are you that, here in Wisconsin, the votes in this November’s election will be accurately cast and counted? Regardless of general confidence in the accuracy of the upcoming election, 43% say election officials sometimes or often submit false vote counts, while 57% say this never or hardly ever happens.
A substantial majority of Republicans think election officials submit false vote counts sometimes or often, while a small majority of independents and a large majority of Democrats say this happens never or hardly ever. This is shown in Table 19.
Table 19: How often election officials report false vote count, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID False vote count Never/hardly ever Sometimes/often Among all registered voters 57 43 Republican 31 68 Independent 55 45 Democrat 86 14 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: In Wisconsin, how often do you think election officials submit false vote counts? On voting by non-citizens or non-Wisconsin residents, 47% say this happens sometimes or often, while 53% say it happens never or hardly ever. Republicans are much more likely to say this happens sometimes or often, while independents are evenly divided. A large majority of Democrats say this never or hardly ever occurs, as shown in Table 20.
Table 20: How often do non-citizens/non-residents vote, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID Non-citizen/non-resident voting Never/hardly ever Sometimes/often Among all registered voters 53 47 Republican 20 80 Independent 51 48 Democrat 91 9 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: In Wisconsin, how often do you think non-citizens or non-Wisconsin residents illegally vote? Despite the level of distrust of election officials and suspicion of voting by non-citizens or non-residents, a large majority of respondents, 79%, say they trust Wisconsin state and local officials more than the federal government to ensure fair and accurate elections, while 20% trust the federal government more.
As with confidence in the accuracy of the fall election, a majority of Republicans, 61%, have greater trust in state and local officials, as do 80% of independents and 99% of Democrats, as shown in Table 21.
Table 21: Trust state or federal officials more to ensure accurate & fair election, by party identification
Among registered voters
Party ID Trust to ensure fair election Wisconsin state and local election officials The federal government Among all registered voters 79 20 Republican 61 38 Independent 80 18 Democrat 99 1 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Whom do you trust more to ensure that elections in Wisconsin are conducted fairly and accurately? State issues
Data Centers
Data centers continue to be seen as creating more costs than benefits. This has hardly changed since February, when a large shift against data centers was seen, compared to October 2025, as shown in Table 22.
Table 22: Benefits vs costs of data centers
Among registered voters
Poll dates Benefits vs costs The benefits of the data centers outweigh the costs The costs of the data centers outweigh the benefits 3/11-18/26 30 69 2/11-19/26 29 70 10/15-22/25 44 55 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Mar. 11-18, 2026 Feb./Mar. 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: 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: Majorities of each partisan category say the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits, but there has been some change in partisan positions since February. Republicans have become slightly more opposed than they were previously, while independents and Democrats are slightly less opposed than previously. This contrasts with October when there were no partisan differences, as shown in Table 23.
Table 23: Benefits and costs of data centers, by party identification
Among registered voters
Poll dates Benefits vs. costs The benefits of the data centers outweigh the costs The costs of the data centers outweigh the benefits Republican 3/11-18/26 37 62 2/11-19/26 43 55 10/15-22/25 45 53 Independent 3/11-18/26 29 69 2/11-19/26 24 76 10/15-22/25 43 55 Democrat 3/11-18/26 22 77 2/11-19/26 15 85 10/15-22/25 42 56 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Mar. 11-18, 2026 Feb./Mar. 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: … Sixty-nine percent of those polled in Wisconsin say artificial intelligence (AI) is being developed too quickly, while 29% say it is moving at the right pace and 2% say it is progressing too slowly. In February, 73% said AI was moving too quickly. Of those who say AI is moving too quickly, 79% say the costs of data centers outweigh the benefits. Those who say AI is moving at about the right pace are evenly divided on data centers, with 50% saying the benefits outweigh the costs of data centers and 49% say the costs outweigh the benefits.
K-12 school funding
The poll included a number of questions concerning K-12 school funding.
Asked which is more important, a majority of registered voters, 58%, say they are more concerned about property taxes, while 41% are more concerned about funding for K-12 public schools. In February, 60% were more concerned about property taxes.
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. As between two answers provided: Forty-eight percent say this was necessary to support public schools, while 52% say his veto will require tax increases each year. In February, 49% said the veto was necessary and 50% said it will require tax increases.
Forty-seven percent say they would prefer a one-time payment directly to taxpayers to offset property taxes, while 52% say they would prefer an increase in ongoing state aid to schools to reduce the need for property tax increases.
Forty-eight percent say they would vote for a referendum to increase taxes for schools in their community, while 51% say they would vote against such a referendum. In February, 43% said they would vote for a referendum and 57% would vote against it.
While the public is divided on funding for schools, a majority, 59%, are very or somewhat satisfied with the job their local public schools are doing, while 40% are somewhat or very dissatisfied.
A constitutional amendment to ban the use of partial vetoes to create or increase taxes or fees is set for the November ballot. This survey asked a broader question:
Wisconsin governors have long had the power to cast a partial veto of budget legislation. This allows them to strike out individual words or sentences, in some cases significantly changing the effect of the legislation. Do you think this is an appropriate power for governors to have, or does it give too much power to governors to change the intent of the legislature?
To this question, 39% say the partial veto is an appropriate power, while 61% say it gives too much power to governors.
Issue concerns
Seventy-five percent of respondents say they are very concerned about inflation and the cost of living. Health insurance drew the second-highest response, with 63% saying they are very concerned about it. Sixty percent said they were very concerned about jobs and the economy.
Between 51% and 57% of people said they were very concerned about affordability of housing, public schools, and illegal immigration. Somewhat less concern is expressed for property taxes, gun violence, and abortion policy, each with between 47% and 43% very concerned. The issue of least concern is “crime in your community,” with 28% very concerned. The full set of responses is shown in Table 24.
Table 24: Issue concerns
Among registered voters
Issue Concern Very concerned Somewhat concerned Not too concerned Not at all concerned Inflation and the cost of living 75 21 5 0 Health insurance 63 27 7 3 Jobs and the economy 60 27 12 1 Affordability of housing 57 30 8 4 Public schools 52 33 12 2 Illegal immigration & border security 51 24 19 6 Property taxes 47 35 16 2 Gun violence 45 30 13 12 Abortion policy 43 31 18 9 Crime in your community 28 27 32 13 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: How concerned are you about each of the following? There are substantial partisan differences in issue concerns. Republicans are much more concerned with immigration and border security than are Democrats, with independents the least concerned. Property taxes are also of greater concern to Republicans, as is, to a lesser degree, crime in the community. Democrats express more concern with all the other issues than do Republicans, and are much more concerned with gun violence, inflation, affordability of housing, and health insurance than are Republicans. The comparisons by party are shown in Table 25.
Table 25: Issue concerns by party identification
Among registered voters
Issue Percent very concerned by party ID All registered voters Rep-Dem difference Republican Independent Democrat Illegal immigration & border security 51 45 77 25 33 Property taxes 47 13 53 47 40 Crime in your community 28 8 33 16 25 Public schools 52 -19 44 46 63 Abortion policy 43 -22 34 25 56 Jobs and the economy 60 -28 47 60 75 Health insurance 63 -29 50 56 80 Affordability of housing 57 -33 42 58 75 Inflation and the cost of living 75 -34 56 83 91 Gun violence 45 -40 26 40 66 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Mar. 11-18, 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 35%. The second most important issue is illegal immigration and border security, picked by 14%, followed by health insurance at 11%. The full list is shown in Table 26.
Table 26: Most important issue
Among registered voters
Issue Percent most important Inflation and the cost of living 35 Illegal immigration and border security 14 Health insurance 11 Jobs and the economy 9 Property taxes 7 Affordability of housing 6 Abortion policy 5 Public schools 5 Gun violence 5 Crime in your community 2 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Which one of the following issues matters MOST to you right now? Gubernatorial candidates
Registered voters have generally not heard much about the governor’s race, with 8% hearing a lot, 56% hearing a little, and 35% hearing nothing at all. This is unchanged from February when 8% had heard a lot and 35% nothing at all.
Most of the gubernatorial candidates are unfamiliar to most voters. Only former Lt. Gov. and 2022 U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes and Rep. Tom Tiffany have a name ID of 50% or above. Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, state Rep. Francesca Hong, and Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley each have name ID above 20%, while all other candidates are below 20%.
The name ID and favorability of all candidates among registered voters are shown in Table 27.
Table 27: Favorability of gubernatorial candidates
Among registered voters
Candidate Name ID Net Fav Favorable Unfavorable Haven’t heard enough Republican Primary Tom Tiffany 50 2 26 24 50 Andy Manske 14 -6 4 10 86 Democratic Primary Mandela Barnes 56 -6 25 31 43 Sara Rodriguez 32 0 16 16 68 Francesca Hong 28 -2 13 15 72 David Crowley 23 -5 9 14 76 Kelda Roys 18 -4 7 11 81 Brett Hulsey 17 -9 4 13 83 Missy Hughes 16 -6 5 11 83 Joel Brennan 15 -5 5 10 84 Zachary Roper 14 -8 3 11 85 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Mar. 11-18, 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. More than half of registered voters say they haven’t decided on a candidate in either the Republican or Democratic gubernatorial primary. For the Republicans, 54% haven’t decided and for the Democratic primary, 65% haven’t picked a candidate.
In the Republican primary, 40% support Tiffany and 6% chose Andy Manske.
On the Democratic side, Hong is the choice of 14% and Barnes is supported by 11%, with all others below 5%, as shown in Table 28.
Table 28: Democratic primary vote choice
Among Democratic primary voters
Candidate Percent Haven’t decided 65 Francesca Hong 14 Mandela Barnes 11 David Crowley 3 Sara Rodriguez 3 Joel Brennan 2 Kelda Roys 1 Missy Hughes 1 Brett Hulsey 0 Zachary Roper 0 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey, Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: In the Democratic primary for Governor, will you vote for, and please bear with me as I read the 9 candidates] … Attorney General candidates
Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, has a name ID of 43%, with 25% rating him favorably and 18% rating him unfavorably.
Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney, a Republican, has a name ID of 23%, with 12% favorable and 11% unfavorable.
Approval of governor, legislature, and Wisconsin Supreme Court
Approval of the job Evers is doing as governor slipped to 47% from 49% in February. Evers’ approval since February 2025 is shown in Table 29.
Table 29: Evers job approval
Among registered voters
Poll dates Approval Net Approve Disapprove Don’t know 3/11-18/26 0 47 47 6 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 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Mar. 11-18, 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 down to 39% from 41% in February, with disapproval rising to 48% from 44%. The trend since February 2025 for approval of the legislature is in Table 30.
Table 30: Legislature job approval
Among registered voters
Poll dates Approval Net Approve Disapprove Don’t know 3/11-18/26 -9 39 48 13 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 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Mar. 11-18, 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, with approval at 46% and disapproval at 37% in March. That is down from 49% approval in February. The full trend is shown in Table 31.
Table 31: Wisconsin Supreme Court job approval
Among registered voters
Poll dates Approval Net Approve Disapprove Don’t know 3/11-18/26 9 46 37 17 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 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin surveys, latest: Mar. 11-18, 2026 Question: Overall, do you approve or disapprove of the way the Wisconsin state Supreme Court is handling its job? Favorability of political figures
Evers is seen favorably by 46% and unfavorably by 46%, while Sen. Tammy Baldwin follows with 43% favorable and 47% unfavorable. Sen. Ron Johnson’s favorable rating is 36% and unfavorable is 44%.
The full set of favorability ratings is shown in Table 32.
Table 32: Favorability to state and national political figures
Among registered voters
Political figure Favorability Net Fav Favorable Unfavorable Haven’t heard enough Tony Evers 0 46 46 9 Tammy Baldwin -4 43 47 10 Ron Johnson -8 36 44 20 JD Vance -11 40 51 9 Donald Trump -15 42 57 1 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Mar. 11-18, 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, though the Democratic party is seen more negatively than the Republican party. The MAGA movement’s rating is more negative than that of the Republican party, as shown in Table 33.
Table 33: Favorability to political organizations
Among registered voters
Political organization Favorability Net Fav Favorable Unfavorable Haven’t heard enough The Republican Party -10 42 52 5 The MAGA movement -18 38 56 6 The Democratic Party -23 35 58 6 Marquette Law School Poll, Wisconsin survey Mar. 11-18, 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 March 11-18, 2026, interviewing 850 Wisconsin registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-4.4 percentage points. For likely voters, the sample size is 597 with a margin of error of +/-5.3 percentage points. To cover more subjects, a number of items where asked of random half-samples of 423 and 427 registered voters with a margin of error of +/-6.3 percentage points. The sample size for Republican primary voters is 396, with a margin of error of +/-6.3 percentage points. The sample size for Democratic primary voters is 393, with a margin of error of +/-6.7 percentage points.
Half-sample items:
- Concern about issues
- Satisfaction with public schools, reduce property taxes or increase school spending, vote for or against school referendum, property tax refund or increase state aid to schools, 400-year partial veto, deporting immigrants in U.S. illegally, tariffs help or hurt the economy, tariffs helping farmers, Trump policy decreasing inflation
The survey was conducted with a hybrid sample of 619 respondents selected from the Wisconsin voter registration list, and 231 selected from the SSRS Opinion Panel, a sample drawn from postal addresses across the state and invited to take part in surveys online. The survey was conducted online with 771 respondents and with 79 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 32% independent. When independents who lean to a party are counted as partisans, the sample is 46% Republican, 42% Democratic, and 12% 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, the 2024 samples 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 Poll website.
- New Marquette Law School Poll finds large majorities of Wisconsin voters undecided on candidates for state Supreme Court, governorby Charles Franklin
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 security49 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 security13 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.
