Marquette Poll Finds Views On Trump Are Divided, Statewide Candidates Lack Name Recognition

In the first Marquette University Law School Poll of Wisconsin voters released in 2025, views of President Donald Trump remain close to evenly split, several candidates on the ballot for statewide office in the Spring Election struggle with overall name recognition and the Democratic Party’s favorability rating is especially poor. 

In the first poll of Wisconsin voters since his return to office, Donald Trump’s approval rating is at 48% approve to 51% disapprove. The poll is among registered voters in Wisconsin and has a slight Republican lean in its sample. 

Compared to eight years ago, when Trump first took office, his marks are slightly better overall — he was at 41% approve to 47% disapprove in the March 2017 poll – but worse with independents, where he polled with net-positive ratings in 2017, but net-negative ratings now. 

Along with the polling on Trump, the poll also surveyed opinions on several state politicians and key national figures, including Elon Musk. Voters have a more negative view of Musk, at just 41% favorable to 53% unfavorable. Among independent voters, Musk fares even worse, with just 29% viewing him favorably to 58% unfavorable. 

The poll also gauged favorability of each of the two major political parties. And while the Republican Party is polling at a slight net-negative, the Democratic Party’s favorability is especially poor, with only 34% viewing it favorably, and 62% unfavorably.

The poll also looked at public opinion on the candidates in the upcoming statewide races in the Spring Election — for Wisconsin Supreme Court and State Superintendent. The poll didn’t, however, look at any head-to-head polling for either race. 

Many of the candidates aren’t  especially well known. More than half of registered voters do not have an opinion on Susan Crawford, the liberal candidate for state Supreme Court, close to two-thirds of voters do not have an opinion of Jill Underly, State Superintendent for the Department of Public Instruction, and more than 70% of voters do not have an opinion of Brittany Kinser, the challenger in the State Superintendent race. Brad Schimel has the highest name recognition of the four statewide candidates, but nearly 40% of voters do not have an opinion of him, either.

Schimel has a net favorability rating of minus-3, Crawford and Underly are both at minus-4, and Kinser is at a net plus-6. 

Find live coverage on social media of the poll and more results here, and find the full results and breakdown of every question online at the Marquette University Law School Poll’s website here.