WASHINGTON — New polls in three key Midwestern states show Republican Senate and gubernatorial candidates trailing their Democratic counterparts in hypothetical matchups — particularly GOP Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin, where only a third of voters say he deserves to be re-elected and where he trails his leading Democratic challenger by more than 10 points.

According to new polling from NBC News and Marist, just 34 percent of Wisconsin’s registered voters say Walker should win re-election in the fall, while 61 percent say a new person should be given the chance to lead the state.

The crowded Democratic field to take on Walker has a clear frontrunner in state schools superintendent Tony Evers. Among likely voters, Evers received 26 percent support, while the nine other competitors in the race registered in the single digits, with Kathleen Vinehout (7 percent) and Mike McCabe (another 7 percent) as Evers’ closest competitors ahead of the August 14 primary. Those margins were nearly identical when all potential Democratic voters are polled.

If Evers faces Walker in the general election, the poll shows the Democrat would start the contest with a significant advantage. Evers leads Walker 54 percent to 41 percent in a hypothetical matchup among registered voters.