Darren Hauck / Reuters

Tom Barrett and Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker talk during a debate held at Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee on May 31.

Updated 5:14 p.m. — Democrats and their allies in organized labor are heading into a final weekend of campaigning in hopes of avoiding an embarrassment in their goal of recalling Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.

The Badger State has played host to months of furious campaigning since Walker, the conservative governor first elected in 2010, sought major reforms for public employee unions. He pushed through legislation to strip them of collective bargaining rights and force them to contribute to their pensions.

But the Republican governor leads Tom Barrett, the Democratic mayor of Milwaukee and Walker’s opponent in the 2010 general election, by 7 points, according to a Marquette Law Poll released Wednesday.

“Democrats really were just foolish in this way they approached this recall,” Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said in a sit-down interview with NBCPolitics.com this week. “They set up this World Series event in Wisconsin, built it up. They put on the ballot a candidate who’s not worth two nickels – he’s already lost twice statewide, and is going to lose a third time now.”

The recall battle carries high stakes for not only for Walker, who has become the face of a generation of reformist conservatives, but also for Democrats and organized labor, which vowed revenge in the aftermath of the politically divisive fight to push the collective bargaining law through the state legislature.

That battle drew tens of thousands of protesters to the state Capitol in Madison, and a million people put their names to paper in support of an initial petition seeking Walker’s recall.

Jeffrey Phelps / AP

A supporter of Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, right, talks with a supporter of Democratic opponent Tom Barrett at a recall election rally Friday, June 1, 2012, in Milwaukee.

Several state senators were recalled in 2011 as a result of the collective bargaining clamp-down, and Democrats almost succeeded in unseating a state Supreme Court justice, too.

But Walker’s been the beneficiary of a marginally improved state economy and overall fatigue associated with the recall. His chief advantage, though, comes from the millions more he, and supportive groups, have been able to spend on the campaign. Walker and those groups have spent $23 million in his race against Barrett; the governor’s fundraising was enabled by a loophole in state law allowing him to collect funds in large sums.  Barrett and labor groups have spent $12.4 million, by contrast.

"From recruiting volunteers and registering voters to organizing on campuses across the state, the DNC and OFA are working alongside the Barrett campaign and the state party to build the ground game that is crucial for success on Election Day.  And we will continue to utilize both our substantial network of activists, volunteers and supporters and extensive online resources to lay the groundwork for victory," said Melanie Roussell, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Committee. 

The DNC and Organizing for America — the president's political arm — have invested almost $1.5 million in staffing, offices and support in order to help Barrett pull out a win on Tuesday.

The campaign has taken a turn toward bare-knuckled politics, though, in which Walker and Barrett have traded barbs at debates and in those paid advertisements. Barrett has sought to stoke suspicions regarding the so-called “John Doe” investigation, in which former Walker aides stand accused of allegedly misappropriating campaign funds.

The Walker campaign, in turn, has questioned Barrett’s crime record as mayor, and their overarching strategy has involved questioning the wisdom of the recall in the first place.

Eager to fight off the sense that the recall is all but lost, Democrats have been furiously contesting public polls that show Walker ahead, and releasing a flurry of internal surveys that, they say, depict a much tighter race.

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was in the state this week to help raise money for Barrett, and on Friday, former President Bill Clinton will stump against Walker in Wisconsin. For his part, Walker brought his own heavyweight to the fight: South Carolina Gov. Nikki campaigned with him Friday in Sussex.

But the Obama administration has been somewhat removed from the campaign; the president has no plans to campaign in the state for Barrett, and the White House was forced on Wednesday to clarify whether Obama had even endorsed the Democratic nominee (he has).

The saving grace for Democrats might lie in a labor-driven turnout effort. But Republicans have been equally enthusiastic about retaining Walker, whom they treat as a vanguard for efforts to rein in public employee unions and entitlement spending.

But Republicans contend that, between the 2010 elections and two intervening recalls before this one, they have built a voter outreach machine on par with few others – one which could pay dividends in an election like Tuesday’s, which may hinge on each side’s ability to drive supporters to the polls.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) enjoys a 7-point advantage over Democratic challenger Tom Barrett among likely voters in Tuesday's recall election.

Darren Hauck / Reuters

Republican Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker debates with Democratic challenger and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett before the start of the debate in Milwaukee.

Fifty-two percent of likely voters said they would vote to retain Walker, according to a Marquette Law School poll released Wednesday; 45 percent of likely voters said they would support Barrett, the mayor of Milwaukee.

The poll suggests that Walker is heading toward victory on Tuesday, which would deliver a stinging rebuke to Democrats and members of the labor community who had sought the first-term governor's removal after he pushed a controversial bill curbing collective bargaining rights for many public employees through the Wisconsin state legislature.

The Marquette poll has been tracking the trajectory of the recall election for the better part of this spring. The survey found Walker and Barrett locked in a virtual tie ahead of the Democratic primary in early May, though a May 16 poll reflected Walker opening an advantageover his Democratic opponent.

Labor groups and Democrats supportive of Barrett have been circulating a number of internal polls over the past week showing a closer race than many outside observers have expected.

In the meanwhile, Walker and Barrett have debated, and the campaign has evolved into a rather pointed battle between the two candidates, who squared off in the initial 2010 gubernatorial contest.

Barrett has demanded that Walker release records associated with a criminal investigation into former aides, while Walker has barnstormed the state to brag of positive economic indicators that, he contends, were made possible in part by his initial collective bargaining reforms.

Thousands of dollars in outside spending have also flooded Wisconsin airwaves in this high-stakes contest. Republicans are hoping an organization forged in Walker's 2010 election and last year's state Senate recalls carries the day; Democrats are meanwhile enjoying the assistance of organized labor.

Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was in Wisconsin on Wednesday to help with fundraising, and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who heads Democratic gubernatorial campaign efforts, will be in the state this weekend.

A series of Republican heavyweights, including New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, have also campaigned in support of Walker, and Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus will be in his native Wisconsin this weekend, too.

The poll, conducted May 23-36, has a 4 percent margin of error.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has opened up a 6-point lead over Democratic challenger Tom Barrett ahead of a closely-watched June 5 recall election.

Fifty percent of Wisconsin's likely voters said in a Marquette Law School Poll that they would support retaining Walker versus 44 percent of likely voters who said they would instead elect Barrett, Walker's challenger in the 2010 general election who will again face Walker after having won last week's Democratic primary.

The poll would seem to reflect what had been an anecdotal sense that Walker has opened up an advantage in the few weeks before the recall election.

A target of Democrats and organized labor since pushing a dramatic reform of collective bargaining rights for public employees through the Wisconsin state legislature, Walker has raised millions more than his challengers in order to fend off the recall effort.

If Walker were to win, it would be a symbolic victory not only for his efforts to curb labor rights, but also for a series of other Republican governors who have embarked upon the same path. It would also be a disappointing setback for organized labor.

It could also help put Wisconsin in play for this fall's general election between Mitt Romney and President Obama.

Among likely Wisconsin voters, Obama and Romney were tied at 46 percent in a hypothetical November matchup.

A poll preceding the Democratic primary in Wisconsin had showed Barrett and Walker virtually tied in the gubernatorial recall, suggesting that the tide might have turned back toward Walker in the weeks since then.

The Republican governor had a 50 percent approval rating, according to the most recent Marquette poll, versus 46 percent of Wisconsinites who disapporove of the way he is handling his job.

The remainder of the recall campaign is still expected to be a hard-fought campaign, with millions in ads sponsored by outside groups on both sides. But reflecting the stakes of the race, and prevailing sentiment in Washington, state Democrats had to complain publicly about a lack of support from the Democratic National Committee before eliciting a promise to help raise funds.

The Marquette Law School poll, conducted May 9-12, has a 4.1 percent margin of error for the sample of likely voters.

Wisconsin Democrats nominated Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett as their candidate versus incumbent Gov. Scott Walker (R) in the June 5 election seeking Walker's recall. 

The Associated Press projected Tuesday evening that Barrett had won the Democratic nomination over rival Kathleen Falk, a who had enjoyed the support of organized labor and the state's progressives. 

Barrett's victory sets off a June 5 election versus Walker, a national Republican figure since his controversial effort to overhaul Wisconsin's collective bargaining laws for public employees shortly after assuming office in 2011. 

The contest will mean a rematch between Walker and Barrett; they fought each other in the 2010 general election, and Walker won the governorship with just above 52 percent of the vote. 

A Marquette University Law School poll last week pegged the early June recall election as a veritable dead heat between Barrett and Walker. 

Updated 3:40 p.m. - Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker is virtually tied versus his prime Democratic challenger in a June 5 recall election, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

A Marquette University Law School poll found that Walker, whose efforts to overhaul collective bargaining laws in his state prompted the recall, leads Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) by a single point among likely voters, well within the margin of error. (Among registered voters, Barrett leads 47-46 percent.)

If the recall election were held today, 48 percent of likely voters said they would choose to retain Walker, versus 47 percent who said they would pick Barrett, the Democratic challenger to Walker in the 2010 general election.

Barrett also leads his main challenger in the Democratic primary, former Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk, heading into next week's primary. Thirty-eight percent of Democratic primary voters prefer Barrett, while 21 percent would vote for Falk; that's a wider advantage for Barrett than in a late March poll.

If Falk, who enjoys the support of organized labor, were to somehow win the primary, she would face a somewhat tougher race versus Walker. Forty-nine percent of likely Wisconsin voters would support Walker in a recall versus Falk, who would win 43 percent of the vote.

The Marquette poll also tested the general election matchup this fall between President Obama and Mitt romney. Obama leads at 51 percent of likely voters to Romney's 42 percent share.

The poll, conducted April 26-29, 2012, has a 3.8 percent margin of error for the full sample. Democratic primary voters had a margin of error is 4.7 percent, and the margin of error for "likely voters" is 4.2 percent.

Update: The most recent figures from NBC's ad-tracking sources indicate that Walker and supportive groups have spent a total of $16.6 million in favor of Walker, while Democratic and labor groups have spent $6.3 million.

PEWAUKEE, Wisc. -- The drama facing Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker took center stage at a GOP dinner here Saturday, where presidential candidates Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum and other high profile Republicans – including Walker himself – addressed several hundred activists days before this state’s April 3 primary.

Walker, who faces a recall election on June 5^th, was the center of gravity among a roster of national Republican stars – demonstrating the national import of a battle threatening to pull attention and resources away from the presidential race.

Calling Walker the "anti-Barack Obama," RNC Chairman Reince Priebus cast the recall as a prelude to the Presidential election, declaring, "Anything Scott Walker needs from the RNC, Scott Walker’s going to get from the RNC."

"This is not even just about Scott Walker.  It's not," Priebus said.  "This is about whether or not in this country we can elect people of their word, who clearly lay out their agenda before they’re elected."

But earlier, during his own remarks, Walker conceded he should have won more support for his controversial budget plan, which set in motion a fight over collective bargaining rights for public sector unions.

"Along the way, should I have spent some more time maybe explaining?  Absolutely," Walker said, adding, of his state’s budget crisis, "I bet you a lot of taxpayers would have said, 'Governor, you need to fix this.'"

The remarks were a noticeable act of modesty before a crowd that seemed sympathetic to Walker’s view of the drama that played out at this state’s capital building last year.

"The whole thing is coming to a crescendo.  It’s coming to a crescendo on June the 5^th here in Wisconsin," Rep. Paul Ryan – who endorsed Romney last week – told the crowd here. 

As for the candidates themselves, Romney declared Walker a "hero," and Santorum called for the crowd to support Walker and his Lieutenant Governor, Rebecca Kleefisch, who also faces recall.

"Please continue to lead and defend these two great public officials," Santorum said.