The blame game over the government shutdown continues to divide Wisconsin voters.
This was one of the findings in the latest Marquette Law School poll that was released during an Oct. 29 event. Director Charles Franklin broke down the results and provided analysis on what the results could say about how Americans are feeling about the state of the country one year out from the 2026 midterm elections.
Government shutdown blame game continues
Both Republicans and Democrats continue to blame one another for the ongoing government shutdown, which has now exceeded 30 days and is approaching the record for the longest shutdown in U.S. history. Among all registered voters, 33% blame Democrats for the shutdown and 38% blame the GOP. 28% blame both parties equally, the poll found.
The shutdown comes as congressional Democrats refuse to compromise on their demands to extend tax credits under the Affordable Care Act. The tax credits — which are set to expire at the end of 2025 — currently help millions of Americans pay for health insurance. 58% of those surveyed in the latest poll said that they were in favor of extending the subsidies and 41% said they should be allowed to expire.
Voters undecided on gubernatorial candidates
The poll found that an overwhelming majority of voters from both parties remain undecided in the Wisconsin gubernatorial race, with 71% of Republicans and 81% of Democrats saying they do not know who they are going to support at the polls next year.
Among the Republican candidates, Congressman Tom Tiffany continues to hold a slight lead over his GOP primary opponents, with 23% of Republican respondents labeling him as the favorable GOP candidate. 6% identify Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann as favorable, with another 70% being undecided.
Things are more split on the Democratic side, with 81% of voters currently identifying as undecided in the Democratic primary. Madison Assembly Representative Francesca Hong and Lieutenant Governor Sara Rodriguez are holding leads at 6% and 4% respectively; however, no candidate on the Democratic side has support above the single digits in this latest poll.
Franklin said limited knowledge of gubernatorial candidates is not uncommon this far out from a general election.
“It is important to remind political junkies that most folks haven’t tuned into either of these races,” Franklin said. “All of the candidates have a very long way to go to develop name identification and for voters to develop feelings towards those candidates.”
Inflation and tariffs remain top of mind
Inflation and the cost of living remain a top issue for voters on both sides of the aisle, nearly a year after President Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one of his second term. 69% of voters said they were very concerned about inflation, with 27% labeling it as their top issue.
Trump’s tariffs continue to heighten concerns about consumer prices. 57% of all registered voters surveyed in this latest poll said that they believe Trump’s tariffs will increase inflation, including 69% of independent voters and 96% of Democratic voters. On the Republican side, 18% said that the tariffs would increase inflation, while 60% feel that the tariffs will lower inflation.
Franklin was keen to point out some of the partisan lenses that people have on issues such as tariffs. He noted that for every group supporting the policies of the Trump administration, there is an equally large group of those who are opposed to them, and those in opposition to Trump are likely going to stay in opposition.
Trump receives latest approval rating
Trump’s approval rating stands at 46%, with 53% of voters disapproving of his performance. While the disapproval rate is down slightly from the last poll, his approval rating remains the same. Franklin noted the highly partisan nature of the approval ratings, with large alliances still supporting Trump and equally large ones opposing him.
“The coalition that re-elected Donald Trump is still very much behind him, and the people that opposed him are bitterly opposed to him,” Franklin said.
This story was written by Sahil Gupta. He can be reached at [email protected].
