Poll: Gov. Scott Walker trailing Dem challenger by 7 points

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is trailing top Democratic challenger Tony Evers by 7 points in the upcoming Wisconsin gubernatorial race, according to a new poll from Emerson College. 

The survey, which was released on Monday, found that Evers leads Walker 48 percent to 41 percent, with 7 percent of voters still undecided. 

Emerson College notes that a deciding factor in this race could be Walker's waning approval among independents in the state. Walker has an approval rating of 34 percent among independents, according to the poll. 

Meanwhile, Evers, who is the state schools superintendent, has a 47 percent approval among independents. 

The Emerson poll is the second one in less than a week that has Walker trailing in his bid for a third term as governor. A NBC News/Marist poll last Thursday found that Walker was trailing his likely Democratic challenger by 13 points, or 54 percent to 41 percent. 

Earlier this year Walker warned that a “blue wave” could hit the state in the midterm elections. In his warning he claimed that “big government special interests” will “target me and work to undo our bold reforms.”

Evers is seen as the likely Democratic nominee for governor ahead of the primary on Aug. 14.

The Emerson poll was conducted among a population of 632 registered voters from July 26-28. The margin of error is 4.2 percentage points.