(The Center Square) – It’s really early, but a new poll for next year’s race for governor has two early leaders.
Platform Communications is out with a new poll that gives Republican Tom Tiffany a huge lead in the race, while it shows Mandela Barnes out in front for the Democrats.
“Barnes opens as a potential candidate with the highest marks among poll respondents, with 16% saying they would support him in a primary, while declared candidate Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez is in second at 8%,” pollsters wrote. “Nearly 38% of Democrats remain undecided in the race.”
Barnes has not yet launched a campaign, but he’s expected to. His last campaign was in 2022, when he ran and lost the election for U.S. Senate.
Plattform’s poll gives Tiffany 30% of the Republican vote.
“The nearest prospective candidate, Eric Hovde, garnered 14% from voters, while 34% of the Republican electorate remained undecided,” pollsters noted. “The poll also included candidate and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, and prospective candidates Tim Michels and Mary Felzkowski.”
Hovde, Michels and Felzkowski have not jumped into the campaign yet.
The poll comes nearly 11 months before voters in Wisconsin will pick the next candidates for governor.
Gov. Tony Evers decided against running for a third term in July that set-off the first open primary for governor in Wisconsin since 2010.
Beyond the horse race, Platform’s poll offers some insight into where voters are this early in the race.
“Head-to-head, Republicans open with a narrow lead on a “generic” ballot. Forty-three percent of voters say that if the election for governor were held today, they would support a Republican candidate, while 40 percent would support the Democrat,” the pollsters added.
