GOP candidate gains ground on Sen. Tammy Baldwin in Wisconsin, according to consecutive polls.

Recent polls show a tightening Senate race in Wisconsin, with Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., facing a tough re-election battle in a state that may go to former President Donald Trump in the presidential race.

A Marist poll on Thursday revealed that likely voters in Wisconsin split 51% for Democrat Tammy Baldwin and 48% for Republican Senate candidate Eric Hovde. A Quinnipiac poll also showed Baldwin leading Hovde by only a few points, 51% to 47%, while an AARP poll showed Baldwin at 50% and the Republican candidate at 47%, with 3% undecided.

In the AARP's survey of voters over 50, Baldwin was beaten by Hovde, with a margin of 1%.

With less than seven weeks until the general election, Hovde has boosted his name recognition, and voters have begun to finalize their candidate choices. The latest polls show a tight race for Baldwin's Senate seat, despite her incumbency.

In recent polls, Hovde has been gaining ground among Wisconsin voters, with his support increasing from 42% to 51% in a New York Times/ Siena College poll.

Despite the shrinking gap, the Cook Political Report still considers the Senate race "lean Democrat."

The close polling from three different organizations coincides with increased scrutiny of Senator Baldwin's long-standing relationship with private wealth adviser Maria Brisbane at Morgan Stanley. Despite not being obligated to disclose any information about Brisbane's clients or finances due to their non-marital status, Baldwin faces pressure to be transparent.

Baldwin responded to the accusations of conflict of interest by releasing an ad denouncing them as false.

In the Planet Chronicle Power Rankings forecast of the presidential election, Wisconsin is a toss-up state, meaning neither Trump nor Vice President Kamala Harris has a significant advantage in the race. This also applies to the Senate race, where split-ticket voting is becoming less common.

"According to Lee M. Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, Wisconsin is a crucial state in the Electoral College count, and the new poll shows that the 2024 election is likely to be a close contest between Harris and Trump."

In 2016, every Senate race mirrored the state's presidential vote. However, in 2020, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, was the only exception. Collins has earned a reputation as a moderate in the Senate, which many believe contributed to her victory.

Baldwin's voting record with President Biden was over 99% in the early stages of the 118th Congress, as per FiveThirtyEight, while Collins' departure from her Republican Party was more noticeable than Baldwin's from the Democrats, which was almost non-existent.

Trump could boost the Republican Senate candidate's campaign if he manages to beat Harris in Wisconsin, as he also has Trump's backing.

The Quinnipiac poll was conducted from Sept. 12-16 with 1,075 likely voters in Wisconsin, while the AARP poll was taken from Sept. 11-14 with 1,052 likely voters. The Marist poll surveyed 1,431 likely voters in the state from Sept. 12-17 using phone, text, and online methods. The margin of error for all three polls was within 3.6%.