The first statewide poll of likely voters since George Bush became president and Scott McCallum became governor, show both Republican politicians off to a decent start, despite fighting reputations among insiders that they're political lightweights.
Any governor has the power to get attention, and get it quickly.
But the upcoming Joint Finance Committee hearings around the state likely will focus on the shortcomings of the McCallum budget. And most observers feel McCallum has yet to forcefully defend his most controversial budget planks. McCallum still has a long way to go to reach the status of HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson and U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl. U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold seems to have joined the club, thanks in part to the halo of campaign finance reform and his independent vote for Ashcroft. Republicans contend voters become more fiscally conservative in hard times.