Wisconsin Rep. Tammy Baldwin goes into next week's election with a 4 point lead over her Republican rival Tommy Thompson.

Thompson and Baldwin are competing to replace retiring Wisconsin Senator Herb Kohl.

According to the final poll before voters decide on November 6 by the Marquette University Law School, Baldwin has a 4 point lead, 47 to 43 percent. Two weeks ago, Thompson held a slim 1 point lead.

If elected, Baldwin would become the nation's first openly lesbian senator.

The subject of Baldwin's sexuality became an issue early in the fall when a Thompson staffer criticized Baldwin's orientation just hours before she was to give her prime time speech at the Democratic National Convention.

Brian Nemoir, political director for the Thompson campaign, sent an e-mail and tweeted messages highlighting her appearance at a 2010 Gay Pride event.

Referring to Baldwin's assertion that her speech would focus on “heartland values,” Nemoir wrote, “Clearly, there's no one better positioned to talk 'heartland values' than Tammy,” and attached a link to a video showing Baldwin dancing on stage with the disco band VO5 as it played the theme from Wonder Woman.

Thompson apologized five days after the incident, and another aide told reporters that Nemoir had “acted on his own.”