U.S. Sen. Richard Durbin, a Democrat representing Illinois, retains a strong lead against Republican challenger Steve Sauerberg in a new poll.
The poll of 800 likely voters conducted last week by Maryland-based Research 2000 found that Durbin holds a 59 percent to 34 percent lead, with 7 percent undecided. Durbin also has a 59 percent favorable rating -- the highest in two years under the poll. Sauerberg, a physician, has a favorable rating of 41 percent, and his unfavorable rating is 44 percent.
The poll, which has a margin of error of 3.5 percent for each number, was conducted for the Post-Dispatch and KMOV-TV (Channel 4).