A new Marquette Law School poll released Wednesday reveals Wisconsin voters have yet to focus on the 2026 gubernatorial race, despite it being about one year away from the midterm elections.
The poll shows significant uncertainty among voters, with 71% of Republicans and 81% of Democrats having not made a primary choice in the gubernatorial race. This comes as 17 candidates — including Democrats, Republicans and independents — have entered the race for the open seat after Governor Tony Evers decided not to seek a third term.
"This is normal enough if you look back to all of our primaries since 2012. Almost everybody starts out in the teens or 20% name ID," Poll Director Charles Franklin said. "And they work their way up over the course of the campaign until in August they start to become pretty well known as the primary election, you know, looms, but it takes a long time, and I'll be surprised if we see anybody make a fast move over the winter."
Franklin said June and July typically mark when voters begin paying serious attention to gubernatorial campaigns.
Watch: Wisconsin voters undecided on 2026 governor's race one year before election
Government Shutdown Blame
The poll also examined voter attitudes toward the ongoing government shutdown, now in its 29th day. Among all voters, Republicans receive slightly more blame than Democrats — 38% versus 33% — while 28% say both parties are equally responsible.
However, partisan divisions are stark. 82% of Democrats blame Republicans for the shutdown, while 71% of Republicans blame Democrats. Independents appear more neutral, with 63% saying both parties share responsibility.
Top Voter Concerns
Inflation and the cost of living emerged as the top concern for voters heading into 2026, with 27% of all voters citing it as their primary issue. The concern varies significantly by party affiliation: 83% of Democrats express worry about inflation and cost of living compared to 54% of Republicans.
Supreme Court Race
The poll also addressed the upcoming April Supreme Court race between Maria Lazar and Chris Taylor. About half of voters remain undecided in this nonpartisan contest, though 83% believe judicial candidates should discuss issues that may come before the court.
Rare Bipartisan Agreement
One area where voters showed remarkable unity across party lines involves data centers. 55% of respondents said the costs of building data centers outweigh their benefits, while 44% said benefits outweigh costs. Franklin noted this opinion remains nearly identical among Democrats, Republicans and independents.
This story was reported on-air by Charles Benson and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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