MILWAUKEE — Virtually every public and private poll since February — including three released Monday — has shown GOP Gov. Scott Walker ahead of Democrat Tom Barrett in this historic Wisconsin recall campaign.

Still, Scott Walker entered Election Day only a marginal favorite after a late aggressive push by Democrats.

Walker has benefited from a gaping financial advantage, unwavering support from national Republicans, a brief fissure between organized labor and traditional Democrats and economic statistics that appear to bolster the incumbent’s case that the state is on the rebound.

On his final campaign swing, the governor hardly mentioned his controversial measure to strip collective bargaining rights from public workers that first ignited the recall process. Instead, he touted reams of positive economic indicators: A $154 million surplus, the addition of 30,000 new jobs, a falling 6.7 percent unemployment rate that is at its lowest mark in four years.

(PHOTOS: Scott Walker's career.)

But while Republicans remained optimistic about their prospects, Walker acknowledged that the race had tightened over the closing

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