Gov. Scott Walker (R-Wis.) is trailing Democratic challenger Tony Evers by 13 points in the upcoming Wisconsin gubernatorial race, according to a new poll released Thursday.

Of the registered voters surveyed in the NBC News/Marist poll, 41 percent backed Walker in the race, compared to the 54 percent who supported Evers.

When asked if Walker deserves to be reelected, 34 percent of the voters agreed with the statement. Sixty-one percent said a new person should be given a chance, and 5 percent were unsure.

Walker, who ran for president in 2016, is running for his third term as governor.

Democrats have targeted the governor's seat in the upcoming election.

Walker warned earlier the year that a "blue wave" could hit the state in the midterm elections, claiming that "[b]ig government special interests" will "target me and work to undo our bold reforms."

He issued the warning after liberal Judge Rebecca Dallet defeated conservative Judge Michael Screnock in the race for a Wisconsin Supreme Court seat in April, a race largely considered a bellwether for the 2018 midterm elections.

NBCS/Marist conducted phone interviews with 1,040 adults in Wisconsin from July 15-19, 906 of which were registered voters. The margin of error for the registered voters is plus or minus 3.8 percentage points.