Raleigh, N.C. – As one of the ten least popular of the 27 governors PPP has polled this year, Pat Quinn was already on shaky ground, down 34-30 to Bill Brady among registered voters in June. But among likely voters, Quinn remains at 30% to Brady’s 39%, with Green Party candidate Rich Whitney also slightly increasing his share of the vote, from 9% to 11%, with 20% still undecided.
Quinn is partly hurt by the presence of Whitney, who gets 10% of Democrats, helping to hold Quinn at only 60% of his own party’s support, to Brady’s 80% of the GOP. But Quinn’s job performance does him no favors with his own party. As in the Senate race, Democrats are not moved by their nominee, with 24% of them undecided, to only 10% of Republicans unsure of their vote. Whitney also gets more, 19%, of independents than does Quinn at 15%. Brady has more unaffiliated support, at 40%, than Quinn and Whitney combined.
Only 40% of Quinn’s party members approve of his job performance, but 81% of Republicans and 60% of independents disapprove, giving him a dismal 23-53 overall mark. Brady breaks even with independents, but is slightly more liked by Republicans than disliked by Democrats, for an overall 25-30 favorability, down from 22-22 in June. Both Quinn and Brady are more disliked by members of their own party than they are liked by the opposite party.
“For all the talk of anti-Washington sentiment, governors are in many places the least popular figures in the country, and Pat Quinn is no exception in Illinois,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “But he still has more room to improve than does Brady, who already has his party and independents locked up. As with Alexi Giannoulias in the Senate race, if Quinn can get his base off the fence to support him and then turn them out, he can eke out a victory in this blue state.”
PPP surveyed 576 likely Illinois voters from August 14th to 15th. The survey’s margin of error is +/-4.1%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
If you would like an interview regarding this release, please contact Dean Debnam at (888) 621-6988 or 919-880-4888.
Topline results are below. Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.
Q1 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor Pat
Quinn’s job performance?
Approve …………………………………………………. 23%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 53%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 24%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Bill Brady?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 25%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 30%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 45%
Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Rich Whitney?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 5%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 13%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 82%
Q4 The candidates for Governor are Republican
Bill Brady, Democrat Pat Quinn, and Green
Party candidate Rich Whitney. If the election
was today, who would you vote for?
Bill Brady………………………………………………… 39%
Pat Quinn……………………………………………….. 30%
Rich Whitney…………………………………………… 11%
Undecided………………………………………………. 20%
Q5 Who did you vote for President in 2008?
John McCain…………………………………………… 42%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 51%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 8%
Q6 Would you describe yourself as a liberal,
moderate, or conservative?
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 22%
Moderate………………………………………………… 39%
Conservative…………………………………………… 38%
Q7 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 53%
Man……………………………………………………….. 47%
Q8 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 41%
Republican……………………………………………… 32%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 26%
Q9 If you are Hispanic, press 1. If white, press 2.
If African American, press 3. If other, press 4.
Hispanic…………………………………………………. 6%
White …………………………………………………….. 76%
African American……………………………………… 14%
Other……………………………………………………… 4%
Q10 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1 now. If
you are 30 to 45, press 2. If you are 46 to 65,
press 3. If older, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 9%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 28%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 42%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 21%
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