Quinn, Ryan Lead Primary Races for Governor in Illinois

2 years ago

0 Comments Say Something »

Text Size

Contributing Editor

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, who took the job after Rod Blagojevich was ousted amid corruption charges, has a big lead over state comptroller Dan Hynes, who is challenging him for the Democratic nomination, according to a Chicago Tribune/WGN-TV poll conducted Dec. 2-8. The primary will be held Feb. 2.

Quinn is ahead of Hynes, 49 percent to 23 percent among likely voters, with 21 percent undecided and the rest scattered among two other candidates.

While the Tribune noted that candidates in the crowded Republican field are already trying to hang Blagojevich around Quinn's neck, the poll showed that more than three-quarters of Democrats said that Quinn's association with the disgraced former governor made no difference to them in deciding how to vote.

Fifty-eight percent of voters approve of the job Quinn is doing compared to 18 percent who do not. Fifty-one percent approve of Hynes' performance as comptroller compared to 11 percent who do not.

On the Republican side, former Attorney General Jim Ryan, who lost to Blagojevich in 2002, leads the pack with 26 percent of likely Republican primary voters, followed by former state GOP chairman Andy McKenna at 12 percent, state Sen. Bill Brady at 10 percent and state Sen. Kirk Dillard at 9 percent. Three other candidates polled 6 percent or less. However, 31 percent of voters are undecided.

Filed Under: Primaries, Polls, Poll Watch, 2010 Elections

Tagged: Andy McKenna, AndyMckenna, bill brady, BillBrady, dan hynes, DanHynes, illinois governor race, IllinoisGovernorRace, Jim Ryan, JimRyan, kirk dillard, KirkDillard, pat quinn, PatQuinn, rod blagojevich, RodBlagojevich

Our New Approach to Comments

In an effort to encourage the same level of civil dialogue among Politics Daily’s readers that we expect of our writers – a “civilogue,” to use the term coined by PD’s Jeffrey Weiss – we are requiring commenters to use their AOL or AIM screen names to submit a comment, and we are reading all comments before publishing them. Personal attacks (on writers, other readers, Nancy Pelosi, George W. Bush, or anyone at all) and comments that are not productive additions to the conversation will not be published, period, to make room for a discussion among those with ideas to kick around. Please read our Help and Feedback section for more info.