Bush, Dukakis Top Poll in Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE — Vice President George Bush held a strong lead among Republican voters here, while Massachusetts Gov. Michael S. Dukakis and the Rev. Jesse Jackson were ahead of other Democrats in the Wisconsin presidential primary, according to a newspaper’s public opinion poll published Sunday.

The Milwaukee Journal said it questioned 782 Wisconsin residents who said they were fairly certain to vote in the April 5 primary. The poll, conducted Wednesday and Thursday, asked the respondents which candidate they would choose in the open primary, which does not require voters to state party preference.

Among Democrats, 38% chose Dukakis and 30% supported Jackson. Missouri Rep. Richard A. Gephardt had 11%; Illinois Sen. Paul Simon also had 11%, and Tennessee Sen. Albert Gore Jr. had 10%. The margin of error was 5 percentage points, the survey said.

Among Republicans, 69% supported Bush; 25% backed Sen. Bob Dole and 6% chose former religious broadcaster Pat Robertson. The margin of error on the Republican side was 6 percentage points, the newspaper reported.