Two new polls released this week showed a tight race between Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson and his Democratic rival Mandela Barnes.
The poll from Spectrum news/Siena College showed Johnson had the support of 47% of likely voters while Barnes was backed by 48%. The results are within the poll’s margin of error of +/- 4.5%. The survey of 651 likely voters was conducted September 14-15 by telephone and also showed Johnson’s favorability was 13 percentage-points underwater, with 37% of respondents saying they viewed the Senator favorably while 50% viewed him unfavorably. Barnes on the other hand was viewed favorably by 41% and unfavorably by 39% for a +2% overall favorability rating. 20% of likely voters did not register an opinion on Barnes.
FiveThirtyEight rates Siena College an A pollster.
The poll from Emerson College found 48% of likely voters backed Johnson while 44% supported Barnes. The poll of 860 likely voters was conducted September 16-18 using cell phone interviews, text to web response, automated calls over landlines, web survey via email and an online panel, and has a margin of error of +/- 3.27%. The poll also showed Johnson’s overall favorability was +1%, with 49% of respondents saying they viewed the incumbent Senator favorably while 48% viewed him unfavorably. Barnes on the other hand was 45% favorable and 46% unfavorable for a -1% overall favorability rating. Nearly 11% of likely voters did not register an opinion on Barnes.
FiveThirtyEight rates Emerson College as an A-minus pollster.
