Polls: Obama, Thompson Leading | News

MILWAUKEE (AP) - A new poll shows President Barack Obama easily leading each of his four Republican rivals in Wisconsin.

A Marquette University poll released Wednesday shows Obama leading former Sen. Rick Santorum, 51 percent to 40 percent, and leading former Gov. Mitt Romney, 53 percent to 38 percent.

The poll questioned 716 registered Wisconsin voters from Thursday to Sunday. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

Against Rep. Ron Paul, the poll shows Obama leading 52 percent to 36 percent, and the president holds a lead over former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, 56 percent to 33 percent.

Santorum is the early favorite in Wisconsin's Republican primary April 3. Among those who said they plan to vote, the poll shows him with 34 percent, while Romney gets 18 percent. Another 17 percent say they're undecided.

Poll: Thompson leads Baldwin in US Senate race

A new poll shows former Gov. Tommy Thompson is the Republican candidate with the best chance of beating Democratic U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin's U.S. Senate race.

The Marquette University poll released Wednesday says Thompson leads Baldwin, 48 percent to 42 percent.

However, Baldwin polls better than former U.S. Rep. Mark Neumann, 44 percent to 40 percent, and she's ahead of Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, 45 percent to 37 percent.

One problem for Neumann and Fitzgerald is name recognition. At least half of respondents say they haven't heard enough about either candidate.

Meanwhile, Thompson has the highest favorability rating of the four. The poll says 44 percent have a favorable opinion compared to 34 percent unfavorable.

The poll questioned 716 registered Wisconsin voters from Feb. 16-19. The overall margin of error is plus or minus 3.7 percentage points.

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