Illinois Governor Pat Quinn is his own worst enemy. 50% of Illinois voters disapprove of him, while only 27% of voters approve and 23% have no opinion. His opponents are generally unknown. 56% of voters have yet to form an opinion of Republican Bill Brady and 80% are unsure of Green Party candidate Rich Whitney.
In a horserace Brady comes out on top with 34% of the vote, even though he is unknown amongst a majority of voters. Governor Quinn follows with 30% and Whitney receives a meager 9%. This may be a sign of people voting against Quinn, not for Brady.
It appears that Governor Quinn has not recovered from his primary battle. 62% of Democrats either disapprove (37%) or have no opinion (25%) of their party’s nominee.
While the same is true for Brady—62% of Republicans either disapprove or have no opinion of their party’s nominee—only 10% of Republicans have an unfavorable opinion of Brady. Quinn has an uphill battle, as he has to regain the support of Democrats who know him and dislike him. Brady simply has to get his name out.
“Illinois Democrats seem to be disenchanted by both of the party’s leading candidates this year, which could end up aiding Republicans across the ticket,” said Dean Debnam President of Public Policy Polling. “For Quinn to win this race he needs to reinstate voters’ confidence in his ability to be a state administrator but ultimately, and more importantly, reunite Illinois Democrats.”
PPP surveyed 552 Illinois voters from June 12th– 13th. The survey’s margin of error is +/- 4.2%. Other factors, such as refusal to be interviewed and weighting, may introduce additional error that is more difficult to quantify.
A PPP release yesterday showed Alexi Giannoulias leading Mark Kirk 31-30 with Green Party candidate LeAlan Jones getting 14%.
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 …………………………………………………. 27%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 50%
Not Sure…………………………………………………. 23%
Q2 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Bill Brady?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 22%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 22%
Not Sure…………………………………………………. 56%
Q3 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Rich Whitney?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 5%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 15%
Not Sure…………………………………………………. 80%
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………………………………………………… 34%
Pat Quinn……………………………………………….. 30%
Rich Whitney…………………………………………… 9%
Undecided………………………………………………. 27%
Q5 Who did you vote for President last year?
John McCain…………………………………………… 36%
Barack Obama………………………………………… 55%
Someone Else/Don’t Remember………………… 9%
Q6 If you are a liberal, press 1. If a moderate,
press 2. If a conservative, press 3.
Liberal ……………………………………………………. 23%
Moderate………………………………………………… 43%
Conservative…………………………………………… 34%
Q7 If you are a woman, press 1, if a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 51%
Man……………………………………………………….. 49%
Q8 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If you are a
Republican, press 2. If you are an independent
or identify with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 42%
Republican……………………………………………… 29%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 29%
Q9 If you are white, press 1. If African American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 73%
African American …………………………………….. 15%
Other……………………………………………………… 12%
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………………………………………………….. 6%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 25%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 45%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 24%
