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Walker received nearly as many votes in the recall primary as all four Democratic candidates did combined, even though he faced only token opposition in an election focused on Barrett's race. And Republicans at 26 offices scattered across Wisconsin have tracked those voters closely as part of the recall effort, logging millions of phone and door-to-door contacts. "Starting June 6, those offices will immediately begin working for Romney," Wisconsin Republican Party spokesman Ben Sparks said. But despite Walker's momentum, Obama's fortunes have held steadier in Wisconsin than in some less politically turbulent states. A slim majority of Wisconsin voters approve of Obama's job performance, while national polls taken since mid-May find fewer than 50 percent of Americans overall have that opinion. The same Marquette poll that showed Walker leading Barrett by 7 percentage points last week also found Obama with an 8 percentage point advantage over Romney. That's due in part to independent voters such as Jordan Schelling, a 24-year-old freelance writer from Racine, Wis., who is ready to vote for Walker on Tuesday and Obama in November. Schelling said he's been impressed by Obama's moves to withdraw troops from Iraq and his landmark health care reform. But in Walker, Schelling sees a governor who has proved to be fiscally responsible. While he thinks some of Walker's tactics as governor have been heavy-handed, they don't warrant a recall. "There should be a higher standard for the recall process than is currently in place," Schelling said. "I don't think someone should be recalled because a large portion of the state disagrees with what he's done, as long as it's within his legal rights." Obama's last visit to Wisconsin was at a Master Lock plant in Milwaukee, aimed at reminding voters that the city's traditionally strong manufacturing base remains vibrant. Unemployment in Wisconsin has ticked gradually downward this year, falling to 6.7 percent in April. While Obama has steered clear of the state since -- undoubtedly to avoid any connection between his campaign and the recall
-- his team has opened at least a dozen offices around the state. They have attracted volunteers motivated by the recall and have been quietly ramping up a ground operation that has remained in place since the 2008 election, said Obama campaign manager Jim Messina "I've not seen any data that would indicate that Wisconsin is anything but leaning toward the president," he said. Indeed, the data suggest Obama has an advantage that a Walker win can't negate. The president was particularly effective in turning out African Americans in Democratic-heavy Milwaukee and college students in Democratic-heavy Madison in 2008. Those niches remain strategic advantages, said Tad Devine, a top aide to past Democratic presidential nominees John Kerry and Al Gore. "That factor alone makes it very hard to put Wisconsin in play," Devine said.
[Associated
Press;
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