Poll: Walker extends lead in Wis. recall

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MADISON, Wis., May 16 (UPI) -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has opened up a 6-percentage point lead over challenger Tom Barrett in the state's recall vote, a poll released Wednesday said.

The Marquette Law School Poll found Walker has 50 percent of the vote to 44 percent for Barrett, who is the mayor of Milwaukee. Walker led Barrett by 1 percentage point last month, the pollsters said in a written statement.

The June 5 recall appears to have captured the attention of Wisconsin voters, with only 3 percent saying they are still undecided. Walker, a Republican, may have an edge in voter turnout, since 91 percent of Republican respondents said they would cast their ballots on June 5 compared to 83 percent for Democrats and independents.

The recall vote was organized amid the uproar over moves by Walker and the Republican controlled state legislature to eliminate many collective-bargaining rights for public employees. The Marquette survey said the issue was still causing strong feelings among voters, with 50 percent saying they preferred to keep the new rules in place and 43 percent favoring a return to the previous status.

Marquette also polled voters on the presidential race and found President Barack Obama tied with presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney at 46 percent each.

Marquette did not release information about polling methods or margin of error.