Politics

GOP makes gains in Wisconsin

Alexis Levinson Political Reporter
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Blue Wisconsin may be flashing red.

Republican Senate hopeful Tommy Thompson holds a double digit lead over his Democratic opponent Rep. Tammy Baldwin, according to a poll released Friday, the day after polls found Romney edging the president in his running mate’s home state.

A Rasmussen poll released Friday found former Wisconsin Gov. Thompson leading Baldwin 54 percent to 43 percent.

That’s a big jump for Thompson in the days following his primary win and the choice of Congressman Paul Ryan as the Republican vice presidential nominee. A Marquette University Law School poll conducted last week found him leading, but by a much tighter, 48-to-43 percent margin. A CBS/New York Times/Quinnipiac poll last week had the two tied at 47 percent.

Rasmussen found a similar rightward swing in a presidential poll in the Badger State conducted Wednesday. In their poll, Romney led 48-47 over President Obama. But a CNN/Opinion Research poll conducted Monday and Tuesday following the announcement of Ryan as the vice presidential choice found Obama with a 4-point lead in the state. Earlier polls have found Obama leading in the state, which he won in 2008.

The race to fill retiring Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl’s seat is expected to be one of the most hotly contested of the cycle. It is also one of the races that will determine which party controls the Senate.

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