MILWAUKEE\n\u2014 Following the announcement that the federal investigation by special counsel\nRobert Mueller has concluded, a new Marquette University Law School Poll finds\na range of reactions to what is known of those conclusions, as well as modest\nchanges in evaluations of President Donald Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forty-six\npercent of registered voters in Wisconsin approve of the job Trump is doing as\npresident, while 52 percent disapprove. In January, 44 percent approved and 52\npercent disapproved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Support\nfor reelecting the president is also little changed since January \u2014 28 percent\nsay that they would definitely vote to reelect Trump, and 14 percent would\nprobably vote to reelect him. Another 8 percent say that they would probably\nvote for someone else, and 46 percent would definitely vote for someone\nelse. In January, 27 percent said that they would definitely vote to reelect\nTrump, 12 percent said that they would probably vote for him, 8 percent that\nthey would probably vote for someone else and 49 percent that would definitely\nvote for someone else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based\non what respondents have heard about Mueller\u2019s report so far, 42 percent say\nthey have a great deal of confidence that the investigation was fair and\nimpartial, 25 percent say they have some confidence, 10 percent have only a\nlittle confidence and 14 percent say they have no confidence at all in the\nfairness of the investigation. When the question was last asked in early\nOctober 2018, 31 percent said they had a great deal of confidence in the\nfairness of the investigation, 19 percent had some confidence, 13 percent had\nonly a little confidence and 26 percent said they had no confidence at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Confidence\nin the Mueller investigation rose among Republicans and independents, while it\ndeclined among Democrats. Among Republicans, the percentage expressing a great\ndeal of confidence rose from 12 percent in October to 43 percent in April,\nwhile those having no confidence at all declined from 38 percent in October to\n19 percent in April. Among independents, the proportion of those who said they\nhad a great deal of confidence increased from 29 percent in October to 41 percent\nin April. Independents with no confidence in the investigation declined from 25\npercent to 14 percent. Among Democrats, those expressing a great deal of\nconfidence declined from 58 percent in October to 45 percent in April, but\nthose Democrats with no confidence also declined from 13 percent to 8 percent,\nas more Democrats picked the \u201csome confidence\u201d or \u201conly a little confidence\u201d\noptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While\nthe full Mueller report had not been released at the time of the April poll,\nrespondents express a range of conclusions based on what they have heard about\nthe report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A\nmajority, 60 percent, think that Russia interfered with the 2016 presidential\nelection, while 32 percent think Russia did not interfere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thirty-five\npercent think the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to influence the 2016\nelection, while a majority, 53 percent, think the campaign did not collude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Opinion\nis evenly divided on whether Trump tried to obstruct the investigation, with\n45 percent saying he did and 45 percent saying he did not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While\n39 percent say the investigation clears Trump of any wrongdoing, 54 percent say\nthey believe questions still exist concerning the president\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Support\nfor beginning hearings on impeachment stands at 29 percent, down from\n33 percent in January. Those saying that there is not enough cause for\nimpeachment hearings rose to 65 percent in April from 59 percent in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those\nwho say \u201chonest\u201d describes President Trump rose to 35 percent in this April\npoll from 31 percent in January. Fifty-nine percent in the new poll say\n\u201chonest\u201d does not describe him, compared to 62 percent in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\npoll was conducted April 3-7, 2019. The sample included 800 registered voters\nin Wisconsin interviewed by cell phone or landline, with a margin of error of\n+\/- 4 percentage points. Eight questions were asked of one half of the sample\nand seven were asked of the other half. Questions on Form A have a sample size\nof 404 and a margin of error of +\/- 5.7 percentage points. Questions\non Form B have a sample size of 396 and a margin of error of +\/- 5.7 percentage\npoints. The half-sample items are listed at the end of this release. The\nDemocratic presidential candidate preference items were asked of Democrats and\nindependents who do not lean to the Republican party. That sample size is 411\nwith a margin of error of +\/-5.6 percentage points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Democratic\npresidential candidates<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Among\n12 current or potential Democratic presidential candidates, Bernie Sanders and\nJoe Biden are top choices among Democrats or independents who do not lean to\nthe Republican party, with Sanders a top choice of 32 percent and Biden a top\nchoice of 29 percent. Elizabeth Warren is a top choice of 17 percent. In\nJanuary, Sanders was a top choice of 23 percent, Biden a top choice of 32\npercent and Warren a top choice of 15 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Support\nfor all 12 candidates included in the survey is shown in Table 1. Respondents\nwere asked for each candidate if that person would be a top choice, an\nacceptable choice, someone they would not support, or if they haven\u2019t heard\nenough about the candidate yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table\n1: Support for Democratic candidates, in order of \u201ca top choice\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nJanuary poll asked about eight of these candidates. Those results are shown in\nTable 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table\n2: January support for Democratic candidates, in order of \u201ca top choice\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Opinion of\nthe governor and legislature<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After\nthree months in office, Gov. Tony Evers\u2019 job approval stands at 47 percent,\nwith disapproval at 37 percent. Fifteen percent say they don\u2019t have an opinion.\nIn January, 39 percent approved, 22 percent disapproved and 38 percent\nlacked an opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fifty\npercent say they approve of the job the Wisconsin legislature is doing, while\n38 percent say they disapprove and 11 percent say they do not know. In\nJanuary, 52 percent approved, 31 percent disapproved and 16 percent lacked\nan opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked\nabout cooperation between the governor and legislative leaders, 48 percent say\nEvers is trying to cooperate with legislative leaders, while 37 percent say he\nreally isn\u2019t interested in cooperating. Twenty-five percent say legislative\nleaders are trying to cooperate with Evers, while 57 percent say they are not\nreally interested in cooperating. In January, 47 percent said Evers was trying\nto cooperate and 25 percent said he was not, while 22 percent said legislative\nleaders were trying to cooperate and 46 percent said they were not interested\nin cooperating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n State issues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fifty-nine\npercent of voters say marijuana use should be legal, while 36 percent say it\nshould not be legal. A substantial majority, 83 percent, say use of marijuana\nfor medical purposes with a doctor\u2019s prescription should be legal, with 12\npercent saying it should not be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seventy-four\npercent support a major increase in state aid for special education, while\n19 percent oppose such an increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forty-one\npercent support a freeze on the number of students in voucher schools and a\nsuspension of new independent charter schools, while 46 percent are opposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seventy\npercent say the state should accept federal funds to expand Medicaid coverage,\nwhile 23 percent oppose the expansion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More\nrespondents prefer to keep gas taxes and registration fees at the current level\n(57 percent) than support increasing the gas tax and fees in order to\nincrease spending on roads and highways (39 percent).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Support\nfor an increase in the minimum wage stands at 57 percent, with 38 percent\nopposing an increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Opinion\nhas recently fluctuated concerning Foxconn. Forty-one percent say the state\nsubsidies to Foxconn will be worth the cost, while 47 percent think the project\nwill cost more than it is worth. When asked in late-October 2018, 41 percent\nsaid support of the project would be worth it and 40 percent said it would not\nbe worth the cost. In an early-October 2018 poll, 38 percent said it would be\nworth the cost and 48 percent said it would not be worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Criminal\njustice issues<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Forty-nine\npercent support raising the age at which defendants are considered adults in\ncriminal cases from 17 to 18, while 45 percent oppose increasing the age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seventy-one\npercent favor eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, giving judges the\nability to set sentences on a case-by-case basis, while 20 percent oppose\neliminating mandatory minimum sentences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sixty-five\npercent support allowing offenders to petition judges to expunge or clear their\nrecord after their sentences are completed in cases of nonviolent, lower-level\noffenses. Twenty-six percent oppose this proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fifty-five\npercent agree that after serving two-thirds of a sentence, a prisoner should be\nreleased from prison to less costly supervision if the prisoner can demonstrate\nhe or she is no longer a threat to society. Thirty-five percent oppose such\nearly release from prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Expanding\njob training for prisoners is supported by 88 percent and opposed by 9 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Increased\nuse of treatment programs and of alternatives to jail for offenders with drug\nor alcohol issues is supported by 78 percent and opposed by 16 percent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Increased\nstate spending for prosecutors and public defenders is supported by 50 percent,\nwith 37 percent opposing a spending increase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n State of the\nstate<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fifty-two\npercent of respondents say the state is headed in the right direction, while\n40 percent say it is off on the wrong track. In January, 57 percent said\nthe state was going in the right direction and 33 percent said it was on the\nwrong track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table\n3 presents the favorability ratings of elected officials in Wisconsin and the\npercentage of respondents who haven\u2019t heard enough or say they don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table\n3: Favorability ratings of elected officials<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n About\nthe Marquette Law School Poll<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nMarquette Law School Poll is the most extensive statewide polling project in\nWisconsin history. This poll interviewed 800 registered Wisconsin voters by\nlandline or cell phone, April 3-7, 2019. The margin of error is +\/-4 percentage\npoints for the full sample.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\nDemocratic presidential candidate preference items were asked of Democrats and\nindependents who do not lean to the Republican party. That sample size is 411\nwith a margin of error of +\/-5.6 percentage points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eight\nissue questions were asked of half the sample (Form A) and seven were asked of\nthe other half-sample (Form B). Questions on Form A have a sample size of 404\nand a margin of error of +\/- 5.7 percentage points. Questions on Form B have a\nsample size of 396 and a margin of error of +\/- 5.7 percentage points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Form\nA questions covered legalization of marijuana, Medicaid expansion, opinion of\nFoxconn, minimum wage increase, increasing funding for special education,\nincreasing spending for prosecutors and public defenders, increasing gas taxes,\nand a freeze on vouchers. Form B items covered medical marijuana, early release\nfrom prison, mandatory minimum sentences, expungement of criminal records,\ntreatment alternatives for those with drug and alcohol issues, expanding job\ntraining for prisoners, and raising the age to charge juveniles as adults.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\npartisan makeup of the sample, including those who lean to a party, is 45\npercent Republican, 44 percent Democratic and 10 percent independent. The\npartisan makeup of the current sample, excluding those who lean to a party, is\n30 percent Republican, 29 percent Democratic and 40 percent independent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since\nJanuary 2017, the long-term partisan balance, including those who lean to a party,\nin the Marquette poll has been 45 percent Republican and 45 percent Democratic,\nwith 9 percent independent. Partisanship excluding those who lean to a party\nhas been 30 percent Republican and 29 percent Democratic, with 40 percent\nindependent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n \n <\/td> \n A top\n choice\n <\/td> \n An\n acceptable choice\n <\/td> \n Would not\n support\n <\/td> \n Haven\u2019t\n heard enough\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Sanders\n <\/td> \n 32\n <\/td> \n 39\n <\/td> \n 20\n <\/td> \n 7\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Biden\n <\/td> \n 29\n <\/td> \n 43\n <\/td> \n 19\n <\/td> \n 6\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Warren\n <\/td> \n 17\n <\/td> \n 35\n <\/td> \n 18\n <\/td> \n 28\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Harris\n <\/td> \n 11\n <\/td> \n 27\n <\/td> \n 13\n <\/td> \n 45\n <\/td><\/tr> \n O\u2019Rourke\n <\/td> \n 10\n <\/td> \n 27\n <\/td> \n 14\n <\/td> \n 45\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Booker\n <\/td> \n 9\n <\/td> \n 29\n <\/td> \n 12\n <\/td> \n 46\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Klobuchar\n <\/td> \n 8\n <\/td> \n 26\n <\/td> \n 12\n <\/td> \n 50\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Buttigieg\n <\/td> \n 7\n <\/td> \n 18\n <\/td> \n 8\n <\/td> \n 63\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Castro\n <\/td> \n 4\n <\/td> \n 18\n <\/td> \n 11\n <\/td> \n 63\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Inslee\n <\/td> \n 2\n <\/td> \n 11\n <\/td> \n 8\n <\/td> \n 72\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Gillibrand\n <\/td> \n 2\n <\/td> \n 21\n <\/td> \n 16\n <\/td> \n 57\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Hickenlooper\n <\/td> \n 1\n <\/td> \n 15\n <\/td> \n 10\n <\/td> \n 67\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n \n \n <\/td> \n A top\n choice\n <\/td> \n An\n acceptable choice\n <\/td> \n Would not\n support\n <\/td> \n Haven\u2019t\n heard enough\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Biden\n <\/td> \n 32\n <\/td> \n 44\n <\/td> \n 16\n <\/td> \n 7\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Sanders\n <\/td> \n 23\n <\/td> \n 38\n <\/td> \n 28\n <\/td> \n 9\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Warren\n <\/td> \n 15\n <\/td> \n 36\n <\/td> \n 17\n <\/td> \n 30\n <\/td><\/tr> \n O\u2019Rourke\n <\/td> \n 12\n <\/td> \n 21\n <\/td> \n 8\n <\/td> \n 56\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Booker\n <\/td> \n 8\n <\/td> \n 24\n <\/td> \n 8\n <\/td> \n 56\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Harris\n <\/td> \n 8\n <\/td> \n 23\n <\/td> \n 11\n <\/td> \n 54\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Klobuchar\n <\/td> \n 5\n <\/td> \n 20\n <\/td> \n 8\n <\/td> \n 62\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Castro\n <\/td> \n 4\n <\/td> \n 16\n <\/td> \n 10\n <\/td> \n 65\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n \n \n <\/td> \n Favorable\n <\/td> \n Unfavorable\n <\/td> \n Haven\u2019t\n heard enough\n <\/td> \n Don\u2019t know\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Tony\n Evers\n <\/td> \n 48\n <\/td> \n 35\n <\/td> \n 12\n <\/td> \n 5\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Donald\n Trump\n <\/td> \n 45\n <\/td> \n 51\n <\/td> \n 1\n <\/td> \n 2\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Tammy\n Baldwin\n <\/td> \n 44\n <\/td> \n 43\n <\/td> \n 10\n <\/td> \n 3\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Ron\n Johnson\n <\/td> \n 40\n <\/td> \n 32\n <\/td> \n 24\n <\/td> \n 5\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Scott\n Fitzgerald\n <\/td> \n 22\n <\/td> \n 22\n <\/td> \n 46\n <\/td> \n 10\n <\/td><\/tr> \n Robin\n Vos\n <\/td> \n 14\n <\/td> \n 21\n <\/td> \n 56\n <\/td> \n 10\n <\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\n\n\n