CONSULTATION. IRON JUST DIAL SEVEN. THE NEW MARQUETTE LAW SCHOOL POLL REVEALS AN INCREDIBLY CLOSE PRESIDENTIAL AND US SENATE RACE HERE IN WISCONSIN. LET’S SORT THROUGH THE NUMBERS WITH POLL DIRECTOR CHARLES FRANKLIN HERE THIS AFTERNOON TALKING ABOUT THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, HOW TIGHT ARE WE TALKING? AND WERE YOU SURPRISED? PRESIDENTIAL. VERY CLOSE, 51 FOR TRUMP, 49 FOR BIDEN. IT WAS 49 49IN JANUARY. SO TWO POINTS UP FOR TRUMP. NO CHANGE FOR BIDEN. THAT’S THE KIND OF CLOSE RACE WE’VE GOTTEN USED TO HERE. SOMETHING MATT SMITH, OUR POLITICAL DIRECTOR, POINTED OUT WAS THE RESPONSES AMONG INDEPENDENT VOTERS. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING? YEAH, INDEPENDENTS HAD GONE FOR BIDEN LAST TIME IN JANUARY. THEY GO PRETTY HEAVILY FOR TRUMP THIS TIME, DESPITE THE BIG SWING IN THEM, THOUGH, TRUMP’S VOTE ONLY MOVED BY TWO PERCENTAGE POINTS. SO BIG SWINGS WITH INDEPENDENTS. BUT THAT’S NORMAL. THEY TAKE A LONG TIME TO MAKE UP THEIR MINDS. AND BECAUSE THEY’RE NOT ROOTED IN A PARTY, THEY REALLY CAN’T SWING FROM ONE PARTY TO THE NEXT. FROM MONTH TO MONTH LIKELY. WE’LL SEE THOSE NUMBERS CONTINUE TO SWING BACK AND FORTH UNTIL WE SEE INDEPENDENT STABILIZE AND START GIVING US THE SAME RESULTS FOR 2 OR 3 POLLS IN A ROW. I WOULDN’T PUT A LOT OF STOCK IN IT, BUT IT’S STILL IMPORTANT TO WATCH THEIR 12% OF THE ELECTORATE. SO THEY DO MATTER HERE. AND WHAT ABOUT THE FIVE WAY RACE FOR PRESIDENT THERE? IT’S ALSO A ONE POINT RACE. KENNEDY’S VOTE IS AT 13%, HAS COME DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT. UM, BUT WE’RE SEEING KENNEDY TAKE MORE VOTES AWAY FROM REPUBLICANS THAN HE TAKES FROM DEMOCRATS. THE OTHER INDEPENDENT CANDIDATES TAKE A LITTLE MORE FROM DEMOCRATS RATHER THAN REPUBLICANS. AND THIS IS THE FIRST POLL WHERE WE’RE SEEING RESULTS BASED ON THE US SENATE RACE. INCUMBENT TAMMY BALDWIN, ERIC HOVDE GOING HEAD TO HEAD. WHAT ARE YOU SEEING IN TERMS OF THIS RACE, ESPECIALLY GIVEN THEY’RE SPENDING A LOT ON POLITICAL ADS? THAT’S RIGHT. AND HOW THEY JUST GOT IN THE RACE, WE HADN’T ASKED BEFORE BECAUSE HE HADN’T BEEN IN THE RACE. WE SEE TWO DIFFERENT RESULTS AMONG ALL REGISTERED VOTERS. IT’S A FIVE POINT BALDWIN LEAD, BUT AMONG LIKELY VOTERS, IT’S A 5050 TIE. SO PAY YOUR MONEY AND TAKE YOUR CHOICE BETWEEN THOSE TWO, WE HAVE A COUPLE OF OTHER WAYS OF ASKING IT WHERE WE ALLOW PEOPLE TO SAY, OH, I DON’T KNOW WHO I’M GOING TO VOTE FOR. BALDWIN’S GOT EITHER A SEVEN POINT OR A FOUR POINT LEAD THERE, BUT WITH 18% UNDECIDED, THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE WITH THE PRESIDENTIAL RACE, WE’RE JUST EIGHT ARE UNDECIDED, BUT ON THE SENATE SIDE, LOTS MORE PEOPLE AREN’T FAMILIAR WITH HOFDI IN PARTICULAR. YOU’RE RIGHT, THOUGH, HE’S MADE REAL PROGRESS SINCE JANUARY. AND HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN RECOGNIZE HIM AND HAVE AN OPINION AND A MAJORITY OF FOLKS SAYING THEY DON’T HAVE A STRONG OPINION OF THE CHALLENGER, ERIC HOVDE? NO. ABSOLUTELY 56% SAID THEY DON’T KNOW WHETHER THEY HAVE A FAVORABLE OR UNFAVORABLE OPINION OF HIM, BUT THAT’S DOWN FROM 82% IN JANUARY. SO KICKING OFF THAT CAMPAIGN, THE ADVERTISING BOTH BROADCAST AND DIGITAL, SEEMS TO HAVE REALLY GOTTEN HIM SOME ATTENTION. BUT HE’S STILL UNKNOWN TO MORE THAN HALF OF THE PUBLIC. THAT WILL CHANGE OVER THE COURSE OF THE CAMPAIGN. TO QUOTE MATT SMITH, THEY DON’T CALL IT BATTLEGROUND WISCONSIN FOR NOTHING. THAT’S RIGHT. ALL RIGHT. CHARLES FRAN