By Milwaukee Courier Staff
Alex Lasry
Last week, the race for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate was shaken up when the Lasry campaign released a new poll showing Alex Lasry and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes in a statistical tie.
The poll showed that since last fall, this race has tightened considerably. Barnes now leads Lasry just 34% to 31%, with a third candidate, State Treasurer Sarah Godlewski trailing at 18%.
Lasry’s poll reinforced public polling from Marquette University Law School released in late April that also showed Lasry trailing Barnes by 3.
Barnes, Lasry, and Godlewski are among several candidates competing for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate to run against incumbent Republican Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson this fall.
June 1st is the deadline for candidates to submit their nomination signatures to get on the ballot, thus far Lasry, Godlewski, Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson, and Darrell Williams have been approved to appear on the ballot.
“We’re seeing poll after poll showing the same thing–Alex Lasry has made this primary into a two-person race and he is quickly surging into the lead,” said Garren Randolph, Lasry’s campaign manager. “Voters in Wisconsin are looking for a problem solver, not just another career politician. They know Alex is best suited to help improve the lives of Wisconsinites and he has the best chance to beat Ron Johnson in November.”
Lasry’s poll also highlights 37% of respondents believe Lasry is the “best chance to beat Ron Johnson” while only 27% say that describes Barnes and 13% say the same for Godlewski.
Several of the candidates, including Lasry, Barnes, and Godlewski have begun running television commercials to make their case to the voters ahead of the August 9th primary. Lasry’s campaign has been on TV since October, with Barnes and Godlewski beginning to run ads in the spring. Johnson’s campaign has also been running ads since his announcement in January.
In November Wisconsin will feature two of the most closely watched midterm elections in the country. The winner of the Democratic primary for Senate will face off against Johnson while Governor Tony Evers will also appear on the ballot and face the winner of August’s Republican gubernatorial primary.