A new Reboot Illinois/We Ask America poll shows U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin maintaining the 15-point lead he registered in a previous survey over his Republican challenger, state Sen. Jim Oberweis.Out of all respondents, 53.11 percent said they would vote for Durbin, while 38.13 percent said they would vote for Oberweis and 8.76 percent said they were undecided.
Durbin doubled up on Oberweis among female participants, who chose Durbin by a 60-30 margin. Durbin also had especially strong showings in Chicago and suburban Cook County, where he led Oberweis by 59 and 38 points, respectively. Two bright spots for Oberweis came in results from suburban collar county and downstate respondents. Oberweis led Durbin 50-41 downstate and 46-42 in the collar counties.
"The one interesting thing I noticed was the high number of people who told us they generally vote Republican but say they'll vote for Dick Durbin. That's a steep hill for Mr. Oberweis to climb," said Gregg Durham, chief operating officer of We Ask America.
Respondents also picked incumbent Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White (D) as the candidate they would vote for over challenger Mike Webster (R) by a 30-point margin. More males and females said they would vote for White. Respondents in Chicago, suburban Cook County, the collar counties and downstate all said they would vote for White.