Will the recall outcome affect the November presidential election in Wisconsin?

In the midst of the highly polarizing and unprecedented gubernatorial recall election, Wisconsin is once again considered a swing state for the 2012 presidential election on November 6. A poll released May 16 by the Marquette Law School shows President Barack Obama and likely Republican challenger Mitt Romney in a tie at 46%.

Just three months ago, a similar poll from the same source showed Obama with a 53% to 38% lead over Romney.

While that time period coincides with increasing divisiveness over the upcoming June 5 recall elections, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse political science professor Joe Heim says that has not necessarily led to the tightening of the presidential race in Wisconsin.

“How people are deciding to vote between Romney and Obama is not directly related to how people are going to vote in a recall election,” he says.

Instead, Heim says Wisconsin is following national trends and staying true to its battleground reputation.

However, the outcome of the June 5 recall election for governor will provide a “morale boost” to the winning party, whether that be Republicans with incumbent Gov. Scott Walker, or Democrats with challenger and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.

The winner is likely to use that lift to build on what Heim called “extraordinary” get-out-the-vote efforts currently under way. He expects those efforts to continue, and possibly increase, in the lead-up to November.

“If it works this summer, they’re going to use it again,” he says.

He says the campaigns will similarly be keeping an eye of which ads pack the most punch.

According to Ben Sparks, communications director for the Republican Party of Wisconsin, Republican voters in the state are much more enthusiastic than in past years because of the recall election, and he expects that to help both Walker and Romney in their upcoming elections.

“With this heightened Republican intensity throughout the state, Wisconsin has been moved into a toss-up, and we expect there to be a very close battle waged for Wisconsin’s 10 electoral votes in November,” Sparks says.

If Walker wins in June, Heim says Barrett supporters could feel defeated, at least temporarily. “They really laid it on the line here,”

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Posted by RobertButler on May 26 2012. Filed under 2012 Presidential Campaign. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry