TV news poll gives Pritzker 16-point lead
A new poll shows Democrat J.B. Pritzker with a double-digit lead — 16 points ahead of Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner with just 77 days before the election.
The poll, commissioned by NBC News and the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, found Pritzker with 46 percent compared with Rauner’s 30 percent when registered voters were asked who they’d vote for if the election were today. Pritzker, the billionaire philanthropist and political newcomer, was leading in Cook County, north, central and southern Illinois. Rauner, however, led in the collar counties, the poll found.
Libertarian candi- date Grayson “Kash” Jackson received 6 percent, with state Sen. Sam McCann, running as “Conservative Party” candidate, receiving 4 percent. Thirteen percent were undecided.
The poll found 45 percent of men surveyed supported Pritzker, with 31 percent supporting Rauner. For women, 46 percent said they support Pritzker, compared to 29 percent of women in support of Rauner.
The poll also asked about Rauner’s favorability. Twenty-seven percent of registered voters said they had a favorable view, with 55 percent saying they had an unfavorable view. For Pritzker, 41 percent said they had a favorable view, and 36 percent said they had an unfavorable view.
Poll takers were also asked about how President Donald Trump is doing. Of registered voters, 56 percent said they disapproved of his performance, with 32 percent saying they approved.
The poll was conducted Aug. 12-16 of 831 people. Of those, 734 were registered voters. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 points for all surveyed and plus or minus 4.4 points for those who were registered voters.