Takeaways from new poll of Wisconsin voters

I'm Hope Karnopp and this is the Daily Briefing newsletter by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Sign up here to get it sent to your inbox each morning.

We're in for a pleasant weather day today, with plenty of sun and a high near 71 degrees. There are chances for showers and thunderstorms tomorrow and Saturday, so keep that in mind if you're heading to Summerfest. And if you're starting to put together plans for the Fourth of July, be aware that forecasted thunderstorms could affect the holiday weekend.

Takeaways from new poll of Wisconsin voters

A Marquette University Law School poll of Wisconsin voters released Wednesday showed the presidential race is still incredibly tight in Wisconsin, with registered voters equally split between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

It's the first installment of the poll after Trump was convicted in his hush money trial. A majority of registered voters believe Trump is guilty and should have been prosecuted, but had different ideas of what an appropriate sentence would be.

The survey also shows enthusiasm could be a problem for Biden in Wisconsin: Those who are most enthusiastic to vote overwhelmingly support Trump. There's also an unprecedent amount of "double haters" — voters who don't like Biden or Trump.

Here's the key takeaways from the poll, plus what the results mean for the Biden-Trump and Baldwin-Hovde races.

Fewer high schoolers are going to college. Why?

Kelly Meyerhofer reports on an interesting trend: The percentage of Wisconsin high school graduates going directly to college is plummeting. In 2022-23,it was less than 52%. That’s down about 10 percentage points from six years ago, according to state Department of Public Instruction data.

Universities aren't just competing with each other for students. They're also competing with businesses recruiting students right into the workforce, and families questioning the time and, especially, the cost of a college degree.

"We're recognizing college is not for everyone and you can be successful without college. There are other opportunities for students, and college might not be the best path. I think that used to be sort of stigmatized, and I think that's becoming more accepted," an education expert said.

Meyerhofer also explains what this trend means in the context of financial issues in Wisconsin's higher education institutions, including six public university campuses that closed and three private institutions that declared financial emergencies.

Don't miss these

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• Here's the details on Oshkosh Defense's latest multi-million-dollar contract with the U.S. Army.
• A new charter school that seeks to provide a "supportive, inclusive environment" is looking to open in Waukesha County next fall.
• A new museum near New London honors the legacy of Bart and Cherry Starr, including 300 love letters on display.
• Read Hannah Kirby's profile of Ike Wynter, a Mequon artist popular on social media for amazing wood sculptures.
• Are you a french fry fanatic? These are the best fries in the area, according to readers, including loaded and seasoned fries.

Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@gannett.com or on Twitter at @hopekarnopp.

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