Tammy Baldwin maintains lead over Eric Hovde in new Marquette poll of Wisconsin voters

Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin maintains a lead over Republican challenger Eric Hovde, according to a new Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsin voters released Wednesday.

Baldwin led Hovde among registered voters 53% to 46%, and among likely voters 52% to 47%. That represents a slight boost for Baldwin since the last Marquette poll conducted in June, which had Baldwin at 52% and Hovde at 47% among both registered and likely voters.

The results include voters who were initially undecided and were asked who they would vote for if they had to choose. Initially, 14% of registered voters were undecided between Baldwin and Hovde.

"Baldwin has a larger, eight-point lead of those that give an answer, but 14% undecided is still fairly substantial," poll director Charles Franklin said.

"The Senate race really has been lost in the turmoil at the presidential level. Once we get through the primary and get through the (Democratic National Convention), I think we'll see the Senate race fully engaged ... It will take hold soon, and people will tune in more," he said.

The new poll surveyed 877 registered voters, between July 24 and Aug. 1. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.6 percentage points. There were 801 likely voters with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.8 points. Starting next month, the poll will emphasize likely voters as the November election draws closer, Franklin said.

Baldwin is running for a third term in the U.S. Senate, and Madison businessman Eric Hovde is the leading Republican candidate in the race. As of mid-July, Hovde raised a total of $16.3 million, $13 million of which he self-funded. Baldwin has raised a total of $34.1 million this cycle.

Baldwin is viewed favorably by 44% of voters, compared to 45% in June and 47% in April. She is also viewed unfavorably by 44%. About 12% of voters had no opinion of her, compared to 11% in the June and April polls.

Hovde is viewed favorably by 24%, compared to 23% in June and 19% in April. He is viewed unfavorably by 37%. The percentage of voters with no opinion of him has gone down to 38% from 44% in June and 56% in April.

Baldwin was ahead in other polls that showed President Joe Biden trailing while he was still in the race. Baldwin had distanced herself from Biden, including not appearing with him during recent visits to Wisconsin. While Democrats showed low enthusiasm for voting in the June poll, that gap has narrowed, Franklin said.

"This was a real warning sign for Democrats, that low enthusiasm could result in lower turnout. That could affect the Senate race. It could affect the legislative races around the state. Now we're seeing nearly equal levels of enthusiasm within Republicans and Democrats," he said.

The Marquette poll released Wednesday is the first version that updates the presidential matchup to former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. Baldwin spoke at Harris' first rally in West Allis and is expected to give remarks at her rally in Eau Claire Wednesday afternoon.

Baldwin and Hovde will meet for a debate on Oct. 18, hosted by WMTV-TV in Madison. The debate will be televised and broadcasted on radio across the state. Hovde has pushed Baldwin to agree to more debates, including in Milwaukee and Green Bay.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tammy Baldwin maintains lead over Eric Hovde in new Wisconsin voters