First poll of the election cycle to show Quinn ahead of Rauner

Until last week, all polls taken after the March 18 primary election showed Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner leading Gov. Pat Quinn, in some cases by double digits.

But that trend ended when Quinn came out ahead last week in two polls, including a Chicago Tribune/APC Reseach survey that found Quinn up by 11 points.

According to the Tribune, 48 percent said they supported Quinn and 37 percent said they supported Rauner.

Quinn also led Rauner on questions about which candidate for governor is "more in touch with people like you," whether respondents believed Rauner is trying to buy the election and which candidate participants believe is more trustworthy (20 percent said they didn't trust either candidate).

Amid all this good news for Quinn, the poll also found that more people disapproved of the job he was doing as governor than approved: 36 to 49 percent.

The governor's race is not the only important one heating up in the state. In addition to other statewide races, several Illinois General Assembly seats are up for grabs. Rich Miller, editor of Capitol Fax, said Illinoise House Democrats are ramping up their ad campaign. Mail ads began to be sent out in mid-August as an effort to beat House Republicans to the advertising punch. How do these ads affect individual races?