March 10, 2009...3:39 pm

Pollsters, start your engines! Races for governor, U.S. Senate have begun

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I can’t believe groups are starting to conduct polls to see who’s in the lead for the dash to the governor’s mansion.

Yes, the Illinois gubernatorial election will be held next year, so I suppose we can’t avoid the early polls. Perhaps it’s the hangover I’m still experiencing from the Rod Blagojevich impeachment that has me gun-shy.

But nonetheless polls are coming our way, and not just for the governor’s race. As promoted on GOPUSA Illinois, a Web site edited by Milton Township Republican precinct committeeman Dave Diersen of Wheaton, Zogby International has released a poll showing who’s hot and who’s not in both the U.S. Senate and Illinois governor’s races. GOPUSA Illinois referenced a report filed by Bernie Tafoya for WBBM-AM/Newsradio 780 on the station’s Web site.

“A new public opinion poll indicates U.S. Sen. Roland Burris might find himself as the big loser if he decides to run for election on his own to the Senate,” Tafoya reports. “In a hypothetical match-up against two other Democrats and two Republicans, … the Zogby poll suggests Sen. Roland Burris would come in dead last with .6 percent of those who indicated a preference. That translates to only one person selecting Burris out of the 167 people who gave a preference; 477 people, or 74 percent of those surveyed, did not indicate a preference for any of the five candidates presented them: Democrats Roland Burris, Alexi Giannoulias and Dan Hynes, and Republicans Mark Kirk and Peter Roskam.

“Kevin Martin, executive director of the Illinois Insurance Association, one of the groups that commissioned the survey, says State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias garnered 12.6 percent support with Congressman Mark Kirk getting 12.3 percent, State Comptroller Dan Hynes picking up 11.6 percent, Congressman Peter Roskam with 5.5 percent and Sen. Roland Burris picking up the support of only .6 percent.”

Burris sounds like he has some work to do if he’s to retain the seat conferred upon him by our now disgraced former governor. On the other end of the spectrum, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett has become a frontrunner in the GOP primary for governor.

“In primary election match-ups for governor, Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan trounces new Gov. Pat Quinn 41.0 percent to 29.5 percent. While on the Republican side, DuPage County State’s Attorney Joe Birkett easily beats State Sen. Bill Brady and Doug Whitley, the head of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. Birkett gets the vote of 39.3 percent of Republicans questioned while Brady gets 8.5 percent and Whitley, 5.6 percent,” Tafoya reports. “In a potential general election match-up for Illinois governor, the Zogby poll breaks down this way: Pat Quinn, 19.2 percent; Lisa Madigan, 18.4 percent; Joe Birkett, 8.1 percent; Bill Brady, 4.4 percent; Doug Whitley, 2.7 percent.”

On his own blog, Birkett summarized the poll results this way: “I believe this poll is evidence that the Republican Party is yearning for a proven leader–a career prosecutor–to put Illinois back on the right track.”

So let’s commence to electioneering!

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