More than eight in ten voters in today’s Wisconsin Republican presidential primary approve of embattled GOP Gov. Scott Walker , a stratospheric rating that reflects the remarkable polarization in the electorate as he prepares for a June 5 recall election.



Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker speaks to an audience at a Waukesha County Republican dinner in Pewaukee, Wis., Saturday, March 31, 2012. Walker is facing a recall election in June 2012. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A remarkable 71 percent of GOP primary voters approve strongly of Walker while 11 percent say they “somewhat” approve of him. Thirteen percent strongly disapprove of Walker while four percent somewhat disapprove.

The exit poll numbers are consistent with other data out of Wisconsin in advance of the recall election this summer, prompted by Walker’s decision to push hard for a controversial collective bargaining law last year.

In an NBC/Marist poll conducted in Wisconsin last week, 48 percent of people approved of the job Walker is doing while an equal 48 percent disapproved. Among Republicans, 91 percent approved of how Walker was handling his job while 84 percent of Democrats disapproved. Independents split right down the middle — 47 percent approval/47 percent disapproval.

What that slew of data means is simple. If you like Scott Walker, you LOVE him. If you don’t like Scott Walker, you HATE him. And virtually everyone in the state is in one of those two camps.

That means that tens of millions of dollars will be spent between now and June 5 to convince a minuscule number of undecideds how they should feel about the governor.

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