Breaking Poll: Walker Up 8 in WI, 50-42

Breitbart News has received an exclusive first-look at a poll to be released tomorrow morning by Reason. The Reason-Rupe Poll, conducted May 14-18, shows Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker moving into a commanding lead in his recall race. Walker now leads his opponent, Democrat Tom Barrett, by 8 points, 50%-42% among likely voters. 

Public sector unions have spent tens of millions of their members’ dollars attacking Gov. Walker and his budget reforms. This union effort has clearly failed, as the Reason poll finds strong support for many of Walker’s key reforms. From the report to be released tomorrow morning:

The Reason-Rupe poll finds voters overwhelmingly support many of the key changes Gov. Walker and the legislature implemented on public sector pensions and health care last year. Reason-Rupe finds 72 percent favor the change requiring public sector workers to increase their pension contributions from less than 1 percent to 6 percent of their salaries. And 71 percent favor making government employees pay 12 percent of their own health care premiums instead of the previous 6 percent. 

Taxpayers actually wish state lawmakers had cast an even larger net with their reforms. Police and firefighters were exempted from the pension and health care adjustments but 57 percent of taxpayers say they should not have been. 

The Wisconsin recall is shaping up to be a disaster for the public sector unions. The entire purpose of the recall was to reverse course on Gov. Walker’s collective bargaining reforms. As these reforms have been implemented, without the doomsday scenarios predicted by BigLabor, and taxpayers realize savings of at least $1 billion already, they now command overwhelming support from voters. Any future governor would be hard-pressed to reverse course. 

The recall fight also seems to be taking a toll on Democrats and President Obama specifically. Obama now holds just a four-point lead over Romney among likely voters, 45-41. It is hard to envision of path for Obama’s reelection that doesn’t include Wisconsin’s electoral votes. Holding just a four-point lead, well under 50%, in a state he won handily in 2008 is an ominous sign for his campaign. 

Full results can be found at Reason here. 

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