Republican Congressman Mark Green has closed to within three points of incumbent Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle. The latest Rasmussen Reports election survey shows Doyle leading Green 47% to 44% (See crosstabs). Doyle’s lead was eight points in last month’s poll.

While the current numbers mark a slip for the incumbent, they’re the highest returns to date for Green. His previous peak was 43% in April.

A Dane County judge is expected to rule on Monday whether the campaign can keep $1.3 million in campaign donations that Green transferred from his congressional account to his Senate campaign account. The campaign has already been ordered by the state Board of Elections to return nearly $468,000 in donations received from political action committees not registered in Wisconsin.

Twenty-three percent (23%) of voters surveyed say they have a “very favorable” opinion of Green and (18%) have a “very unfavorable” opinion. That pattern is reversed for Doyle; 17% have “very favorable” opinions and 24% have “very unfavorable” opinions.

Ideologically, voters are split on how to classify Doyle: 43% say he’s politically moderate and 42% say he’s liberal. Voters have an easier time identifying Greene. The majority (50%) sees him as politically conservative while 26% say he’s moderate.

When it comes to job performance, 48% of respondents disapprove of Doyle’s performance as governor, with 28% saying they “strongly disapprove.”

The Senate race continues to be a runaway victory for incumbent U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl. He’s currently leading Republican challenger Robert Gerald Lorge 60% to 33%. With nearly six weeks left to go in the campaign, more than one-third of those surveyed (34%) still aren’t sure what they think of Lorge. Kohl, meanwhile, is enjoying favorable ratings from two-thirds of voters (66%).

Forty-eight percent (48%) of voters say they trust Congressional Democrats with managing the economy over President Bush (40%). The president gets a slight edge when it comes to national security and the war in Iraq (45% to 44%).

Crosstabs available for Premium Members only.