And then folks turn around and try to say Johnson is doomed
Walker is much more disciplined than Johnson. Feingold is weighing a rematch.Well, Feingold would probably start out ahead of Johnson (but it's unclear if he'll run), Kind would start tied (but he won't), but after that Democrats barely have a bench; they're currently running a school board member for Governor and remaining close on the strength of polarization. Johnson's not a guarantee, but after Feingold, there really doesn't seem to be anyone who can beat him.
I wouldn't call it totally hopeless but to say he's favored is sheer hackery.
To say that Johnson is a certain reelection is certainly hackery, but considering that he's the incumbent and Democrats are basically stuck hoping a specific dude runs against him to win, and that they don't have much of a backup plan (beyond begging Kind), insisting that Johnson isn't favored requires some stretches of the imagination.