Gov. Walker says exit from presidential campaign will allow him to help Ron Johnson win re-election

MADISON — With his run for the White House behind him, Gov. Scott Walker says he will now be free to campaign aggressively to help fellow Republican Ron Johnson win re-election to the U.S. Senate in a rematch against Democrat Russ Feingold.

The question for Johnson is whether that's good or bad news.

The latest Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday showed that Walker's approval rating is its lowest ever, Johnson is still unknown to many voters and Feingold is leading by 14 points in the race to be decided next year.

The poll of 803 registered voters was conducted between Sept. 24 and Monday. It has a margin of error of 4.1 percentage points.

Republicans say they welcome Walker's engagement in the race, saying it will fire up conservative voters.