Poll: Walker under 50 percent

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, long assumed to be a strong favorite for reelection next year, is polling under 50 percent and clinging to a single digit lead over a slate of Democratic opponents according to a new survey by Public Policy Polling.

The Democratic-aligned firm’s numbers are surprising because they undercut the widely held notion that Walker will cruise to victory next year.

Wisconsin residents are equally divided over the job he’s doing with 48 percent approving and 49 percent disapproving.

And he’s only polling between 47 and 48 percent against four Democratic prospects, none of who have been billed as top-tier prospects.

The numbers offer fresh evidence of how just deeply divided the Badger State remains 15 months after Walker beat back a contentious recall effort.

But Democrats are already facing problems similar to those they faced in their historic 2012 endeavor.

While state Democratic Party chairman Mike Tate has elevated former business executive Mary Burke to front-runner status, some progressives have complained that she doesn’t embody the spirit of the anti-Walker movement.

The early disunity is a warning sign for a party that slowly struggled to unify behind Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett in the recall.  And PPP has underpolled Walker before.  Heading into the 2012 recall, the pollster tracked him up only by 3 points when he eventually won by seven.

But Democrats believe these middling numbers will provide them an opportunity to broadcast their main line of attack against Walker: That he’s presided over abysmal job growth.

“He made his central promise jobs, and that promise seems to be unfulfillable — and we appear to be unique in that failure compared to other states.  Given that he’s traveling non-stop out of state, it’s a pretty potent contrast, because not only is he not here doing his job, but also it raises legitimate questions that contrast his ‘re-elect me in 2014′ narrative,” said Scot Ross, the executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now.

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