Thompson Leads Democrat in Wis. Senate Race

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Tommy Thompson is leading the only major declared Democratic candidate in the race to succeed retiring Democratic Sen. Herb Kohl.

Thompson, a former Wisconsin governor, holds a 49-42 percent lead over Rep. Tammy Baldwin, a new Rasmussen Reports poll shows.

Although Baldwin does better against the other Republicans vying with Thompson for the nomination, “All three Republican Senate hopefuls hold double-digit leads over Baldwin among voters who describe the current economy as poor, with Thompson besting her among these voters by a near two-to-one margin,” the telephone survey of likely voters found.

In contrast to Thompson’s seven-point lead over Baldwin overall, she has a slight edge over former Rep. Mark Neumann, leading 44 percent to 43 percent. Against Jeff Fitzgerald, the speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, Baldwin leads 46 to 39 percent.