A new poll shows incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn leading Republican candidate Bruce Rauner by 3 percentage points, the first time Quinn has led Rauner since the March primaries, and in the 17 polls since then.
The Democratic Governors Association, which commissioned the poll, is the largest donor to Quinn's campaign, having donated $2.15 million since April. Its most recent donation was $500,000 on Aug. 15, according to the Illinois Board of Elections.
Chicago Sun-Times Early & Often obtained the poll results, which was conducted through Sept. 4-7 and surveyed 605 likely voters. The margin of error was +/- 4.0 percentage points.
The DGA commissioned New York-based public affairs organization, Global Strategy Group, to conduct the poll--a prominent political polling firm for the state's Democratic Party, according to a 2008 New York Times article.
Considering there have been a total of 18 polls since the primaries, it would be best to look at how polling has gone since then. Reboot Illinois combined all the results into an interactive line chart, showing fluctuations for both candidates over the past six months as well as those who are undecided.
While it's reasonable to question the objectivity of the DGA/GSG poll results, what do you think about this harsh analysis of Rauner's budget plan by the Chicago-based Center for Tax and Budget Accountability? See what it concluded about Rauner's "Bring Back Blueprint: Jobs and Growth Agenda" released in July.
