Contact: AG@reforminggovernment.org
Despite all the emphasis on crime, voters were focused elsewhere
Delafield, Wis. – The Institute for Reforming Government (IRG) is continuing its public polling project with Napolitan News Service and Scott Rasmussen in 2025, with the focus in this poll on Wisconsin’s 2025 Spring Election. RMG Research was one of the most accurate pollsters in Wisconsin’s 2025 Spring Election and the 2024 Fall Election.
Key Findings:
- Tough on crime was important to voters but it was not the most impactful issue for their choice of candidate:
- While 88% of all voters said crime was an important issue, ONLY
- 3% of voters thought the most important reason Schimel was NOT chosen was that he was weak on crime
- 5% of voters thought Crawford being tough on crime was the most important issue on why voters chose Crawford
- 52% of all voters and 59% of Independents said claims Schimel was weak on criminal had no impact on their vote
- 55% said that claims Schimel was bought off with campaign contributions influenced their vote, 30% of Republicans said the same
- 63% said that claims Schimel would rule to prevent abortion influenced their vote
- While 88% of all voters said crime was an important issue, ONLY
- Among all voters, the following issues identified as very important:
- Abortion – 60%, Independents at 47%, Women at 65%
- Sharing my values – 51%
- Being tough on crime – 50%
- Voter ID requirements – 47%
- Abortion continues to dominate elections:
- 82% of all voters thought abortion was an important issue
- 70% of Independents said abortion was an important issue
- 47% of Independents identified that Schimel potentially ruling to prevent abortion as influencing their vote
- 30% say that Susan Crawford’s support for abortion rights was the most important issue leading to her election
- In a Spring Election where turnout is lower and 635,214 Trump Voters didn’t show up, the election becoming a referendum on the Trump Agenda & Elon Musk had dire consequences:
- 59% disapprove of Musk, 64% of Independents
- 50% have an unfavorable view of DOGE, 62% view tariffs unfavorably
- Susan Crawford stopping Trump’s agenda was a top influence on voters’ minds
- 75% of all voters and 53% of Independents identified stopping Trump’s agenda as influential on their decision
- 48% of all voters said Schimel tied to both Trump and Musk led them not to choose Schimel, only 24% identified abortion rights
- 30% say Susan Crawford’s opposition to President Trump’s agenda was the most important issue leading to her election
- In IRG’s January Poll, results foreshadowed that voters were interested in more than just tough on crime:
- 91% of voters wanted Justices to make decisions based on the Constitution and law, not their own political preferences
- 52% intended to select the candidate that cares about issues important to them, 27% intended to choose candidate who is tough on crime
This survey of 800 Registered Voters was conducted online by Scott Rasmussen on April 8-14, 2025. Field work for the survey was conducted by RMG Research, Inc. Certain quotas were applied, and the sample was lightly weighted by geography, gender, age, race, education, internet usage, and political party to reasonably reflect the population of Registered Voters. Other variables were reviewed to ensure that the final sample is representative of that population. The margin of sampling error for the full sample is +/- 3.5 percentage points.
