Poll: Obama, Baldwin lead in Wisconsin

President Barack Obama and Senate candidate Tammy Baldwin, both Democrats, have made big gains in a recent poll of likely Wisconsin voters.

Results of a Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday show Baldwin now leads her Republican challenger, Tommy Thompson, 50 percent to 41 percent. That’s the reverse of a poll taken only a month ago, which showed Thompson, a former governor, leading Baldwin, a U.S. representative from Madison, 50 percent to 41 percent.

In the presidential race, Obama’s lead over Republican challenger Mitt Romney grew to 54 percent to 40 percent. In August, the margin was just three percentage points, with Obama leading 49 percent to 46 percent.

• Click here to see the full poll results

Poll administrators caution that respondents in the latest poll were more heavily Democratic than in previous Marquette polls. The September poll was two percentage points more Democratic and three points less Republican than average, however, still within the poll’s margin of error. When adjusted to average partisan makeup, Baldwin’s lead would be 48-43 percent, while Obama’s lead would be 51-43 percent.

Another poll released Wednesday from Quinnipiac University also showed Obama with a lead over Romney in Wisconsin, 51 percent to 45 percent.