Durbin maintains double-digit lead over Oberweis in new Reboot Illinois poll

REBOOT STAFF

Oct 8, 2014 1759

Share this article:

Seeking his fourth term, Democratic U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin held a 13-percentage-point lead over Republican challenger Jim Oberweis in a new Reboot Illinois poll.

Oberweis, a Republican state senator from Sugar Grove, had a better showing among Chicago and Cook County voters than in a Reboot Illinois poll a month ago, but he also lost ground to Durbin among respondents in the five collar counties and downstate. Libertarian candidate Sharon Hansen was the choice of 4 percent of respondents, with 6 percent undecided.

The automated poll of 1,086 likely voters, conducted Oct. 7 by We Ask America, had a margin of error of +/-2.98 percent with cell phone contacts making up 24.5 percent of contacts. Party identification of respondents was 27 percent Republican, 35 percent Democrat and 38 percent independent.

Oberweis, who became wealthy as an investment manager before buying the family dairy that bears his name, has built his campaign on portraying Durbin as a career politician who has made himself rich through public life. He lately has accused Durbin, a three-term incumbent who holds the second highest position in Senate leadership, of using his position to unfairly target his political opponents.

SEE ALL THE LATEST REBOOT ILLINOIS POLLS

Quinn edges ahead of Rauner in new Reboot Illinois poll

Cross, Frerichs in dead heat in new Reboot Illinois poll

Attorney General Lisa Madigan continues strong showing in Chicago, suburbs in new Reboot Illinois poll

“The problem is that Dick Durbin has become a bully. He threatens to use government power against private individuals,” Oberweis told the Chicago Sun-Times in an Oct. 3 interview. “I don’t believe that he should use the IRS as a weapon against his political opponents, which is exactly what he was trying to do.”

But the new Reboot Illinois poll — like other Reboot Illinois polls on June 12, July 30 and Sept. 4 — shows that prospective voters are not warming to Oberweis’ message.

In the three previous polls, Oberweis trailed Durbin by 13, 15 and 10 points, respectively. The new poll had Durbin with 51 percent to Oberweis’ 38 percent.

Most troubling for Oberweis are Durbin’s consistently strong showings among Chicago voters. In the new poll, Durbin was the choice of 72 percent of Chicago respondents to Oberweis’ 16 percent. That’s better than Oberweis did in Chicago in the Sept. 4 poll — Durbin led 79-10 in that survey — but it’s well short of the 20 percent of Chicago voters that generally is believed to be the minimum needed for statewide Republican candidates to win.

“Dick Durbin continues to hold a decent lead fueled largely by his strength north of I-80,” said Gregg Durham, chief operating officer of We Ask America. “While time remains for Mr. Oberweis to make a move, the fact that Durbin exceeds the 50 percent threshold makes that problematic.”

Here is a look at the numbers and chart comparing results from all four Reboot Illinois/We Ask America polls on the U.S. Senate race.