Fresh off his Republican Senate primary victory last week, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson appears to be favored in this fall’s general election, according to two polls released Wednesday.
A Marquette University Law School poll shows Mr. Thompson with a lead of 50 percent to 41 percent over Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin, as the two compete to replace retiring Sen. Herbert H. Kohl.
A poll released by Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling has the former four-term governor with a 49-44 lead among likely voters.
Both polls show a noticeable gain for Mr. Thompson since the most recent polls by the firms. A Marquette poll earlier this month showed him with just a 5-point lead and a PPP poll last month had the race tied.
According to Wednesday’s Marquette poll, President Obama also has a lead in the Badger State of 49 percent to 46 percent over presumptive GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney. The lead has shrunk from the 5-point gap found in a poll earlier this month — a shift that pollsters chalk up to Mr. Romney’s selection of Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate.
Recent polls by PPP and Rasmussen Reports show the Romney/Ryan ticket overtaking the president and holding a 1-point lead.
