Elections: 2006 Candidate Profiles

Wisconsin - Governor

Summary | History | Outlook | Polls

Jim Doyle (Democrat, 1-term incumbent)

Website: www.doylelawton.com

Mark Green (Republican)

Website: www.votemarkgreen.com

Nelson Eisman (Wisconsin Green)

Website: voteeisman.org

Summary:

One-term incumbent Jim Doyle is seeking to become the first democratic gubernatorial incumbent to win reelection in Wisconsin since Patrick Lucey in 1974. Doyle, a former district attorney and Attorney General of the Badger State, is campaigning on his 'Affordability Agenda' that pledges to help Wisconsin's middle class obtain affordable health care, secure good-paying jobs, and send their children to college. Doyle touts his record of balancing the state budget without raising taxes, cutting wasteful government spending, and creating nearly 150,000 new jobs.

Mark Green, a 4-term US Representative from Wisconsin's 8th District, is campaigning to close the door on illegal immigration, to give tax relief for senior citizens, to give citizens greater access to high-quality, affordable health care, and to improve education by tethering teacher pay to merit.

Nelson Eisman, the Wisconsin Green Party candidate, is campaigning against the death penalty, to end corruption in government, to encourage alternative energy sources, and to fund all state services using a progressive income tax.

History:

Doyle won the governorship in 2002 with a plurality of the vote - besting Scott McCallum 45-41; Doyle's election was greatly aided by the campaign of conservative / libertarian Ed Thompson, who garnered 11% of the vote. Republicans (Tommy Thompson) had won the previous 4 races (by an average of 20 points) and 8 of the last 12 dating back to 1964.

Outlook:

The Wisconsin race for governor is viewed to be one of the most competitive races in the nation. Doyle's approval rating has flirted with the short end of 50% for most of the past two years, usually settling in the mid- to high 40s. Mark Green is well known (and well-liked) in northeastern Wisconsin, but is not as well known in the densely populated Madison and Milwaukee regions, which are democratic strongholds. Each of the dozen public polls released in 2006 all show Doyle with a lead, but usually in the single-digits. Political analysts are hesitant to give Doyle the nod, despite these polls, because of his generally low approval rating (which ranks in the bottom one-third among governors in the nation).

Polls:

1 "If the election for Wisconsin governor were held today, and the race were between Democrat Jim Doyle and Republican Mark Green as the major party nominees, would you be more likely to vote for Democrat Jim Doyle, Republican Mark Green, or an independent/third party candidate?"

2 "Thinking about the 2006 election for Governor, suppose that Republicans nominate Mark Green and Democrats nominate Jim Doyle. If the election for Governor were held today, would you vote for Republican Mark Green or for Democrat Jim Doyle?"

3 "If the election for Wisconsin governor were held today between Mark Green for the Republicans and Jim Doyle for the Democrats, for whom would you likely vote?"

4 "Jim Doyle will be the Democratic candidate for Governor this year, but it is unclear who will be on the ballot for the Republicans. Suppose the final choice in November came down to Jim Doyle for the Democrats and Mark Green for the Republicans. As of now, do you prefer Jim Doyle or Mark Green?"

5 "If the 2006 election for Governor were held today, would you vote for Jim Doyle, the Democrat, or Mark Green, the Republican?"

6 "If the 2006 election for Governor were held today, would you vote for Jim Doyle, the Democrat, or Mark Green, the Republican, or Nelson Eisman, the Green Party candidate?"

7 "If the election for Wisconsin Governor were held today, would you be more likely to vote for Democrat Jim Doyle, Republican, Mark Green, or Nelson Eisman?"