Inflation is Wisconsin Voters' #1 Concern As Crucial Midterm Election Nears

A recent poll published by the Marquette University Law School found that Wisconsin voters are still most concerned about high prices and continuing inflation over other issues heading into the midterms — a sign that Democrats may have a hard time winning in this essential swing state come November.

The poll, published on August 17, compared voters' opinions with the group's last survey, which was conducted on June 14. While the issue of inflation dropped 8 percentage points — from 75% to 67% — the rising costs of goods stayed as the top concern overall for voters across party lines.

The results could point to struggles for Wisconsin Democrats this fall, given that Republicans are typically more trusted by voters to tackle inflation. A Morning Consultant poll conducted in March prior to primary voting found that only one in three voters trust Congressional Democrats to handle inflation, including among independent voters.

Wisconsin is one of the key states Democrats need to win this November in order to maintain control of the Senate. Currently, the polling group FiveThirtyEight lists Wisconsin's open Senate seat as a toss-up between current Lt. Governor Mandela Barnes, a Democrat, and Republican incumbent Senator Ron Johnson. In August, a poll from Marquette Law School had Barnes leading by seven percentage points.

Abortion policy, still in the national spotlight after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, came in a surprising sixth in importance to Wisconsin voters in the latest Marquette poll, behind (in order) inflation, crime, accurate vote count, public schools and gun violence, the majority of which have recently been winning issues for Republicans.

Since Marquette Law's last polling, the survey found that Wisconsin voter opinion has shifted only slightly on abortion policy, with 27% stating in June that abortion should be legal in all cases, and 30% agreeing with the statement in August.

But the most recent poll also found that 60% of respondents oppose the Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. Currently, physicians in Wisconsin have halted all abortions following the decision, which triggered a 173-year-old Wisconsin bill that places a near-total ban on the procedure, and "makes providing an abortion in almost all cases a Class H felony, punishable by up to six years in prison and a $10,000 fine," according to madison365.com, with physicians convicted of a felony subject to losing their medical licenses.

Abortion policy has been seen as a winning issue for Democrats, and recent polling by NBC News suggests that growing interest in reproductive rights could provide momentum for the party this fall. But an August 12 nationwide poll published by NBC showed that both Democratic and Republican voters (66% and 68%, respectively) express high interest in this midterm season. NBC reported that in past election years, the party that is out of power has had almost a "double-digit lead" on the same question.

Tony Evers, the Democratic governor of Wisconsin, who is running for re-election against Republican business leader Tim Michels, has promised to protect state abortion access in the future, including granting clemency for physicians who are convicted under the current 1849 bill.

Michels, however, stated in an interview in late June with NBC 26 News that he would uphold the abortion ban as it stands if elected governor, and has repeatedly referred to himself as pro-life.

As of this week, the polling survey analysis site FiveThirtyEight shows a tight race, with Evers holding a slim lead of two percentage points over Michels.