(The Center Square) – Supporters of the plan to use taxpayer money to pay for renovations and upkeep at American Family Field are out with a new poll they say shows most people in Wisconsin agree.
Milwaukee’s tourism office, Visit Milwaukee, and the city’s Chamber of Commerce and the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce released the poll Wednesday morning.
It shows that 66% of likely Wisconsin voters agree that “Gov. Evers and Republicans in the Legislature must work together to come up with a solution to the funding shortfall at American Family Field.”
That includes an overwhelming majority of Republicans (64%), Democrats (74%) and Independents (60%).
“The Milwaukee Brewers and American Family Field are a critical part of our tourism economy, drawing millions of attendees each year and driving spending at hospitality businesses far outside the ballpark. As an essential part of our identity as a sports destination and a source of civic pride, their impact is felt beyond baseball,” Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of VISIT Milwaukee said. “This poll affirms VISIT
Milwaukee’s position that there must be a bipartisan solution that keeps the team and American Family Field in Milwaukee for generations to come.”
The poll does not delve into the specifics of the $600 million deal that would spend taxpayer money on the Brewers ballpark, though it does talk about public funding, and did ask if people are aware of the proposal at the capitol.
“Nearly 6 in 10 voters (59%) have seen, read or heard something about American Family Field and the funding shortfall. Support for the proposal currently being considered in the Legislature is higher among voters who know more about the issue, climbing to 63% among those who say they have heard something,” pollsters noted. “Voters were told ‘There is a proposal in the state legislature to cover this shortfall with a combination of funding from the state of Wisconsin, the regional Stadium District, and the Brewers organization jointly paying for these improvements.’ A 58% majority of voters support this proposal.”
The new poll comes after a poll last month that showed a majority of Voters in Milwaukee and Milwaukee County didn’t want to pay for the upgrades at American Family Field.
That poll focused mainly on money from Milwaukee, and not money from across the state.
Lawmakers will hold a hearing in Milwaukee on Thursday to talk about the proposal to spend $600 million on American Family Field.
