Scott Walker and Mary Burke.

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The race between incumbent Republican Gov. Scott Walker and Democratic rival Mary Burke remains tight, according to the Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday.

Walker leads among registered voters 47.5% to 44.1%.

But among likely voters, Burke leads 48.6% to 46.5%.

Two previous polls showed the race in a dead heat, and poll director Charles Franklin joked about the newest numbers, "I need my thesaurus for a few more adjectives to apply here."

The numbers are well within the poll's margin of error, and Franklin called the spreads "indistinguishable and meaningless."

"At this point, likely voters can still shift," Franklin said. "They can get fired up and they can get discouraged."

Burke's campaign focused on the lead among likely voters, those registered voters who said they are certain to vote in November.

"Wisconsin voters know we need a new direction and are responding enthusiastically to Mary's comprehensive plan, based on her success in business, to create more good paying jobs," said Burke campaign spokeswoman Stephanie Wilson.

Walker's campaign placed an emphasis on the state's improving economy.

"We're confident that Wisconsin voters will want to continue building on the 'Wisconsin Comeback' with Governor Walker and have no desire to return to the failed policies of the past with Mary Burke," said Walker spokeswoman Alleigh Marré.

Here are five take-aways from the poll:

The undercard. If you're in the dark about the race for attorney general, you're not alone.

Around three-quarters of voters say they haven't heard enough to form an opinion about Jefferson County District Attorney Susan Happ, the Democratic candidate, or Waukesha County District Attorney Brad Schimel, a Republican.

When asked if they would support "Happ the Democrat" or "Schimel the Republican," 40% threw in with Happ and 33% with Schimel. Among likely voters, Happ led Schimel 42% to 32%.

The bottom line: With so many undecided voters and so little known about the candidates, the horse race numbers are far from firm.

The gender gap. With Democrats running two women at the top of their ticket for the first time, this could be the sleeper equation that cuts both ways.

Among registered voters, men back Walker 54% to 39% while women back Burke 49% to 42%. But focus in on those considered likely to vote, and the numbers harden, with Walker ahead among men 57% to 40% and Burke leading among women 56% to 38%.

The attorney general's race also produced a set of intriguing numbers among likely voters, where Happ held a 48% to 25% lead over Schimel among women while Schimel's lead among men was 40% to 36%.

Defining Burke. A member of the Madison School Board, Burke is in her first statewide run for office and 35% of voters still don't know enough about her to offer an opinion. But that's down from 70% in January.

She was viewed favorably by 33% and unfavorably by 32%, decent numbers when set against a backdrop of a series of negative ads that others have run against her. Burke's campaign has also launched ads critical of Walker's jobs record.

When asked who would be best at helping the state create jobs, Burke, a former Trek Bicycle Corp. executive, was deadlocked at 45% with Walker. Again, a decent showing for Burke considering the GOP attacks on her record as state commerce secretary in the administration of former Gov. Jim Doyle.

Decisive Walker. Like him or not — and the state is evenly split on the governor — 68% of voters said "able to get things done" describes Walker. As governor, 48% of voters approve of the job he's doing and 48% disapprove.

Walker may still have a chance to lift his numbers, though, since 54% of voters said the state was headed in the right direction compared with 42% who said it was on the wrong track. Fifty-one percent said the state was better off in the long run after all the changes in state government over the past four years, while 43% said the state was worse off.

One worry for Walker: 48% said the state was lagging behind other states in job creation while 34% said Wisconsin was adding jobs at about the same rate as others. The numbers reflect a small shift from July, when just 43% said the state was lagging other states while 42% said it was adding jobs at the same rate.

On the issues. Voters don't like the Affordable Care Act much — 36% approve of it and 53% disapprove. But when it comes to accepting federal funds to expand Medicaid, 58% said the state should do it, while 29% are in opposition. Walker rejected the expansion.

A federal court has blocked Republican efforts to introduce photo ID at the polls, but voters back the initiative 63% to 32%.

Fifty-seven percent of voters support a boost in the minimum wage, while 36% opposed an increase. Burke backs an increase of the state's $7.25-an-hour minimum wage, while Walker does not.

On the issue of outsourcing, which has come up in the governor's race, 73% agreed that outsourcing reduces jobs and holds down wages, while 20% said the practice is necessary for companies to compete.

The poll of 815 registered Wisconsin voters was conducted by interviews on cellphones and landlines Thursday through Sunday. The margin of error was plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Among those polled were 609 people who said they were registered and likely to vote. The margin of error on that sample was 4.1 percentage points.