Polls show independent voters could be key in Wisconsin Senate race

The November mid-term elections are now just two months away. Plenty can change in eight weeks, but a reading of the political tea leaves offers some insight into what may happen on November 9. The Marquette University Law School poll suggests independent voters may decide the outcome. Apparently there are still some voters who don’t identify as red or blue, and that appears to be a boon to Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes. In the latest poll, it is not surprising that 95% of die-hard Democrats support Barnes, while 92% of die-hard Republicans favor his opponent, incumbent Republican Ron Johnson. That doesn’t leave a lot of room in the middle, but those independents favor Barnes by a large margin over Ron Johnson. Independents favor Barnes by 14 percentage points over Johnson, enough to give Barnes a seven-percentage point lead over Johnson overall. That is a significant change from just three months ago, when the candidates were tied among independents. Of course that only matters if these independent voters, typically the least likely to vote, actually go to the polls on election day. And plenty can change in two months. But this poll must be a boon to Barnes who could potentially shift the balance of power in the U.S. Senate with a win.